


Enosiophobia

by ToSeekTheTruth



Series: Cherophobia [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Child Abuse, Complete Dreemurr Family, Experiments, F/M, Fear and Loathing, Female Frisk, Hidden Lab, Implied Suicidal Attempt, Mostly Mute Chara, Mostly Mute Frisk, Murderous Chara Warning, Not a very happy story, Scientist Sans, Semi-Evil Gaster, Suicidal Thoughts, The Six Humans Never Died, character abuse, dark au, dark story, dark themes, trapped underground
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-06-01 21:26:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6536899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToSeekTheTruth/pseuds/ToSeekTheTruth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enosiophobia, a fear of committing an unpardonable sin. </p><p>That fear is reality for Sans. There is no other choice though. If he wants the people he cares about to be happy, they must find a way out of the Underground and they are running out of time. When a new human Falls, he finds himself wondering what sin he will not commit to free the Monsters of the Underground. Would he completely destroy another living being just to escape from this place? Would he forgive himself if it came to that?</p><p>Frisk/Sans. Alt. Universe.<br/>Not going to be a happy, fluffy story. You were warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fallen Down

Sans heard it, the solid thump of someone falling down. He knew the sound well, having heard it too many times in his life. He clenched his fists, turning slowly in the direction the sound came from. The Ruins were oddly silent and he couldn’t hear anything else. Perhaps they died in their fall. Perhaps this one single person would be spared a fate worse than death. It was a necessary evil though, that was what he told himself. Necessary if they ever wanted to return, necessary if they ever wanted to escape. He was doing this for everyone. Everyone was counting on him.

He stopped in the doorway, looking at the bed of strange golden flowers that grew there. They had been brought in a long time ago and now they were everywhere, yellow weeds that cheerful color seemed to mock him. He saw something stir in their midst. Someone sat up slowly and his eyes met the human’s. They were alive and covered in scrapes and bruises, cuts and blood. The yellow was stained with red. They were weak; he could see that, very near death. They had been lucky their fall had not killed them. They weren’t afraid as far as he could tell, just in pain, their eyes ever so slightly glazed over. He realized that they had escaped a nightmare had expected to die upon their fall. Maybe they thought they were dead now.

Sans took his hands out of his pockets and raised one. A Blaster appeared behind him, his eye glowing, ready to strike down the human. They were almost dead anyway, they wouldn’t be of any use. It would be a pain to heal them up enough that they would be useful. He’d probably complain if he found out what Sans had done though. Any human was a good human, they were rare to come by and they needed all they could get. This one was older too, so if they healed them…

But their eyes looked so pained. They looked at the Blaster now, as if they could know what it was. He could see the human was holding their breath. Their eyes closed slowly and they sighed, waiting.

He couldn’t. He lowered his hand, the glow of his eye dying away, the Blaster fading away with a low moan. The human opened their eyes again and he walked to them, the pollen of the yellow flowers sticking to his black pants. He held a hand out to them and the humans looked at him, curious and sad. They lifted their own hand and he reached down, forcefully pulling them up. Then with that, he teleported away. He had to get them back to the lab before anyone else stumbled upon this place.

* * *

 

“Doctor Gaster and Sans. Good to see you.” Asgore’s voice rumbled as they walked into the throne room. The weed-like yellow flowers grew her too and it reminded Sans of that morning when he found yet another human. He had to change his pants before they had come here as the yellow pollen had about ruined his other ones. He stood next to Gaster, just before the garden started, bowing his head ever so slightly to the King and Queen.

The King was a bit too kind, a little bit of a pushover really. The Queen was kind, but she had a sharp edge to her and wasn’t afraid to step in and knocking anyone down who she believed was getting out of line. It was most important they kept the truth of their experiments from her. Sans believed she would not agree with them.

“Oh wow! Doctor Gaster and Sans are here! Why didn’t you guys tell me?” A voice shouted out as a young monster came running from another room. It was Toriel and Asgore’s son, Asriel. He was very young yet, but he seemed to think that he and Gaster were ‘cool’ since they were two of the three royal scientists.

Gaster gave a slight chuckle as the child ran up to him. “We’re here to discuss business today, my prince” Gaster had a creepy way of talking – using his hands rather than words. His voice kind of overlaid the hand gestures, in an almost ghostly way, though his mouth did not move. Sans knew it was actually a invention of Gaster’s that allowed that to happen, since not everyone could understand the words he was speaking with his hands alone.

“Aw, that’s what you always say anymore” The prince pouted, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Asriel, my child” His mother called for him. “Why don’t I get you a slice of pie? I believe there is still some leftover” She stood from her throne and walked to her son, putting a hand on his shoulder. She led him away, leaving the two alone with the King. They could hear the young monster’s protests but his mother had a firm hand. It was better that she was gone, as she would not like the news they had.

“So…as for results…” The King prompted.

“There have been none yet” Gaster told him. “Replicating an artificial humans soul has been harder than I have anticipated. We have been trying to recreate artificial monster souls instead-”

“I thought you said you would avoid experimentation on monsters” Asgore interrupted.

“We are _not_ experimenting _on_ monsters” Gaster went on, looking slightly annoyed. Sans knew he was growing frustrated just by the look in his eyes. They both hated these meetings with the King. Gaster felt that the man was always setting them back, giving them morals and rules when there wasn't room for those in the lab. “We are trying to recreate a soul. It is completely different, my King”

“I still don’t like the sound of it…” The softhearted King commented.

“It is what must be done if we ever wish to escape this place. Already over-crowding has become a serious issue. We have too many people in the Underground and not enough room. Unless you plan to enact laws about how many children each family can have, I must be able to work.”

“I couldn’t do that, it would not be fair to my subjects.” The King’s brow furrowed. “But what you are doing is not fair either. What if you succeed and create a soul? What will you do with it? Will you allow it to inhabit a monster? Will it function as well as a monster born naturally?”

“I do not know if the soul will be stable enough to create a monster.” Gaster replied. Sans glanced at him. That was a lie. They had created several monsters that way, but they had all died shortly after. That had been their own miscalculation though and they were trying to adjust their formula but it was a lot of guessing right now. “But, if it is, we would of course bring them to you straight away, sire”

“Sans, do you think this is a good course of action?” The King asked him. He flicked his eyes back to the King and straightened his shoulders. The King often did this, hoping that one would disagree and he could order them to take a different route, but Sans knew what would happen if they didn’t figure this out. They couldn’t allow it.

“It’s the only one we have presently and if we devote enough energy to it, I believe we’ll get the results we want” He answered. He was glad the Queen wasn’t in the room. She seemed to see right through him.

The King sighed. “Fine…fine…but if you have results – good or bad – I want to hear right away” The King gave them both hard looks. The bowed their heads contritely. “You are dismissed.”

They both teleported away, before the Queen could return and question them. When they had reappeared, they were at Sans’ home in Snowdin. Gaster lived in Waterfall, despite not many people knowing where exactly his home was. Sans did and sometimes her regretted the relationship he had with the other skeleton.

“Is your brother home?” Gaster asked him.

“Maybe. He might be with Undyne, getting trained to be a royal guard.” He opened the door and found the house was quite empty. He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face only to realize Gaster had followed him inside.

“We need to talk”

“About that human I brought in today?” He guessed.

“Yes, Subject Eight.”

Subject, like they were a experiment, like they weren’t a person. They were the eighth one they had managed to find. Eight subjects, all vastly different but alike in only one way, they were human. They had something monsters didn’t have, Determination. At least that was what Gaster liked to call it. A will to live, a reason to go on, that was all it was in the end. Didn’t every monster have that? Shouldn’t they? But apparently it was missing from monsters’ souls and to insert it into their souls…well it caused the monsters to melt. Their magical bodies couldn’t handle such a physical feeling.

Sans felt slightly sick, but he motioned for Gaster to go on as he took off his lap coat, throwing it over the back of the couch. He needed something to eat, he needed a nap but he knew he wasn’t going to get either of those things until Gaster said what he wanted to say. That was one thing Sans disliked about the man, he was so sure of himself. He was so sure that everyone wanted to hear what he had to say and he was always so sure in his experiments. Even when they failed, that smugness rarely faded.

“Subject Eight has greater amounts of Determination than any of the other Subjects before them. The only one who might be on the same level as Subject Eight is Subject One.” Well that wasn’t amazingly interesting so Sans knew that wasn’t the point. “I would like to keep them together and see what would happen. I have a theory that it may help us in the end.”

“By doing what for them exactly?” Sans asked, unable to keep that slight tone of irritation out of his voice.

“Determination is something learned. It can grow or decrease as the circumstances around them effect the Subject. We have seen how every single one of our Subjects has had a loss of Determination since their…Fall. Perhaps if we allow the two Subjects that have the highest Determination together…” His words faded off and Sans understood what he was getting at. He didn’t like it, but he understood.

“Fine.” He snarled. “I don’t know why you ask me. We both know you’d do it either way.”

“That’s no way to be, Sans…” But there were a gentle threat in those words. Sans looked at Gaster, giving him the darkest look he could muster. He hated these experiments, working with these Subjects. He hated it but…He looked away from Gaster with a huff, stomping towards the kitchen. He got himself a sandwich and by the time he had turned around to walk back into the living room, Gaster was gone.

He gritted his teeth and sat down, forcing himself to relax. Some food and some sleep and he’d go back. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice. He had to be there. He had to go back. For now he had to relax though. He had to relax, Papyrus might come home any minute and it wouldn’t do for his brother to see him so worked up.

He didn’t know the truth, no one did.

No one could know or else. That was one truth that Sans knew and understood He knew he could never tell the truth. No one would ever understand what he had done. He could imagine their faces, as he often did, if they learned the truth. He looked at his sandwich, feeling as if eating it might make him sick. He sat it down on the arm of the couch and laid down to take a nap instead. Relax, he had to relax. He had to let go of his guilt. That was the only way that they’d accomplish anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw some pictures of Sans as a Scientist and now here I am. I do not know how long this story is gonna be, but I do know the chapters will be longer after this as I don't want the story to be too long. Anyway, enjoy a glimpse into the darkness.


	2. First Day

First thing was first with the new human, get them healed up. Sans looked into their enclosure – _more like a cage_ – and saw pain filled eyes staring back at him. Gaster hadn’t seen to them yet and they had been down here most of the day. Apparently he was busy with Subject One and couldn’t be bothered to get Subject Eight settled. He looked at them – her – and they looked back from where they sat on the floor. He could tell that Subject Eight had been moving around a little bit, but not much it seemed. They were clearly in all sorts of pain.

He had tried to take a nap, but the look of pain in their eyes had haunted him. He had at least eaten before coming here. Then there was also the fact that Gaster wasn’t around. He felt a little sorry for Subject One…They got a lot of Gaster’s attentions and it would only get worse for them now that Subject Eight was here. He bit back his worry, he couldn’t worry about the subjects that wasn’t…that wasn’t what they were here for. They were here for one purpose only.

Breaking down the barrier.

Soul-Power was needed to destroy it, but they had no idea how much. It was a powerful barrier erected by humans to seal the monsters away after they had lost the war with the humans. This area under the mountain had actually been an ancestral home to monsters. The most ancient of them had been born here…but most of those monsters had faded to dust long ago. The only thing that kept others going was the hope the barrier would fall one day. The only way to destroy it was with enough Determination.

With that thought, Sans deactivated the barrier that locked the human within and stepped into the room. They didn’t cower or try to run from him. It would have been pointless and this human had no reason to actually fear him yet. Yet. That was such an ugly word with such ugly intentions.

“C’mon kiddo, let’s go” He said to her. She looked up at him and stood slowly. Apparently she could understand him at least. She showed no fear yet which he found odd. Every other human they had captured had been fearful at first, simply because they had never seen monsters before.

He wondered what this human had seen to make them different. He turned to walk out of the room, lifting one hand up, his eye glowing blue as he activated his magic. He heard them gasp and half turned his head to see them staring at the blue heart on their chest – a representation of their soul. Their hands touched the soul and he saw them shudder.

“It’s just so you can’t run from me. I won’t hurt you” Not yet. He didn’t say it though and he turned away. The human followed behind and he took them to an examination room. This was protocol. He was used to this. He and Gaster had done it seven times between the two of them. He had the human sit on the cot in the room while he took a seat on a chair. There was a clipboard with various information to be filled out in it sitting on the desk next to the chair.

This part was easy. This part was painless and simple. This wasn’t the hard part, not yet. Subject Eight would think they were happy and safe here. They would think that this place was strange but they might have a second chance or…well they might just think that it was better than the place they left behind. He hated to let them know they were wrong. But they had to do this, they had to.

He got around some things, taking his time. The human sat and waited. Finally he stood again and walked over to them, a wet cloth in his hands. They were covered in dried blood, dirt and pollen. He could have had them shower beforehand but then they’d be walking past where the others were kept and there was no reason to scare her yet. Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself. He didn’t know why he always did this, tried to protect the humans as long as possible. Gaster told him he was weak, emotional and it was holding him back from being as brilliant as he could be.

If being brilliant meant letting go of every moral he had, he’d rather be an idiot.

He gently took the human’s arm and began wiping them down. They didn’t say anything, watching him carefully. As he cleaned away the dirt and other things he began to notice a pattern. He turned their arm as he looked, his brow furrowing. He looked up at them and then back down at the cuts and scars on their arm. The human’s eyes darted away from his, a little bit of red showing on their cheeks. He took a deep breath and then sighed, putting down the cloth. He walked back to his notes, jotted down his thought for Gaster to see later and then returned to wiping off the human.

When he had gotten most of the dirt off of them, he then began to use his magic to heal them. With this, the human’s eyes got wide and surprised. They still did not say anything however. Sans didn’t either. What was he supposed to say to them now? He was healing them if only to…

The healing didn’t take long and he stepped back, returning to his chair. He took the clip board in hand and his pen in the other. He looked at the human and the human looked back. He had to begin their physical but sometimes it was hard to know where to start. He supposed he should see if he could get their age out of them.

“How old are you?” His words were met with a silent stare. The human fidgeted on the cot, wringing their hands. “Do…you know how to speak?” They frowned and looked away from him. Perhaps their vocal cords were damaged…or perhaps they couldn’t speak for some other reason. He jolted this down quickly and looked back up at them. “Can you show me how old you are with your hands?” He balanced the pen and clipboard in his lap and held up his own hands, as if to show her what to do.

He saw her considering it and then Subject Eight held up both their hands, all ten fingers out, closed them into fists, showed ten fingers again, closed her fist and held up one finger. He wrote down Twenty-One as her age then because even if that wasn’t completely accurate, it was as close as they’d get.

He went on asking her questions, getting what answers he could out of her…but it wasn’t much since she didn’t seem keen on speaking. He took a sample of her blood, took measurements on her height and weight along with other things that he felt they needed to know. He took a look at her soul which was…Red. Like Subject One’s. A creeping feeling crawled up his back and he just kept his eyes on his notes. They had never had two souls be the same color before. So why…?

He would talk to Gaster about it later. No doubt the smug man would have endless theories. He would think himself brilliant in that it was his idea to keep Subjects One and Eight together. When he was done, he put the clipboard down and looked at Subject Eight.

“Alright, we’re done here kid. I’m going to take you back now, okay?” She held up her hands in a clear ‘stop’ gesture. “Kid, we gotta go back” He made his tone firm. She pretended to be writing something on her hand with her finger. His brow furrowed and he handed her paper and his pen. He took a hold of her soul though, just in case she would try anything funny. She held up the paper after only a second and the message on it had him wondering who she was and what had happened to her. He tore the paper from her fingers, stuffing it in with his notes and took the pen from her as well, frustrated. Why even bother letting her ‘speak’?

“Let’s go” His tone was dark and annoyed now. He tugged on her soul, making her stumble along behind him. He took her to where the others were kept. He could hear someone sobbing. Not Subject One. It was probably Subject Two…

It felt like it had been a long time since he had walked down this hall with someone new. He realized it had been years since a human had Fallen Down. He supposed, it was just bad luck that one Fell again. At least for Subject Eight. Gaster was pleased they had another Subject. He could tell just by how the other skeleton was acting. He stopped in front of Subject One’s cage. He deactivated the barrier in front of it and gave Subject Eight a gentle push inside. She turned fast, but he was faster, reactivating the barrier again. She looked at him, her eyes questioning.

“Sorry kid” He adjusted his clipboard under his arm, better to hide her message from prying eyes. The words haunted him.

* * *

 

_Is this real?_ Frisk thought watching the…skeleton walk away from her. He had acted like a doctor; he was dressed like one too with a blue sweater and a white lab coat. There was no name on his coat though, no representation of who he was. The coat was blank, but his face…that had been filled with emotions. Most of them have been some form of sadness…maybe fear. Frisk was good at reading faces. She had to be if she wanted to survive.

She paced around the room, taking note of every detail she could, down to the scratches on the floor and walls which looked as if they had been made by some sort of animal. That worried her. What if they put her in here with a monster that wanted to kill her or an animal or...

A thousand awful scenarios played out in her head before she became aware of the sound of footsteps walking closer to the cage where she stood. She moved to stand against the back wall, ready for whatever was coming. She was alive…or so she had to think. She couldn’t be dead. She had to be…alive right? This wasn’t some sort of hell for people like her was it?

Outside her enclosure was the skeleton from before along with a taller one. The taller one scared her. She had seen him before when she first came here. He had just stood outside her cell and smiled at her in this creepy, sinister way. The skeleton who was wearing the blue sweater looked grim and she noted his eye was glowing…and there was a child floating above the ground near him.

The child was struggling, swinging their hands and legs, snarling and yelling like an animal. The barrier was taken down for a moment and the child was tossed in and they landed gently on the ground. They reared and raced for the door entrance to the cell but just before they got there, the barrier reactivated and the child shied away.

She watched as the child paced, seemingly not having noticed her yet. The two skeletons walked away and the child watched them. They seemed to calm, probably thinking they were alone again. They turned and they finally caught sight of Frisk. Their red eyes widened and then grew angry. They raced towards her and Frisk shied away from the child, knowing clearly from their eyes that they had every intention of hurting her in any way they could. She held her hands out, stopping the child from jumping on her, but the small one grabbed her hand and bit down on her wrist. It was painful, but Frisk was used to pain.

She didn’t want to hurt the child but she shoved them, hard and they released her and fell to the ground. Their red eyes gave her a baleful glare though and it sent a chill through her. The child suddenly spat on the ground at her feet and stormed to the cot, curling up on it, hugging the blankets to their chest. They didn’t take their eyes off her though. Frisk glanced down at her feet, at the red splotch that the child had spat at her. She carefully looked at her wrist, trying to keep her eyes on the child at the same time, and could now see she was bleeding.

She put one hand over the wound, holding it tightly to encourage it to stop bleeding, and focused again on the child. Their red eyes had not stopped glaring and she noted how filled with hate and anger they were. She took a step closer wanting to comfort this angry child but they screeched at her, sitting up fast, body tensing.

“Stay away!” The child screamed. “I hate you! I hate you! _I hate you!_ ”

She froze where she was as the child proclaimed their hate again and again until it cut off with a strangled cry. The child returned to hugging the blankets to their chest, but this time they had buried their face in them, rocking back and forth, as if they were in pain. Frisk let go of her own wound, no longer caring that she was hurt. It hurt her more to see this child in so much pain. She quietly padded over to where the child rocked on the cot.

Gently, she sat down on the very edge of the bed, as far from the child as she could get. The child did not seem to notice her. She scooted a little closer. The child did not seem to care. A little closer yet. She reached out and stroked the child’s hair softly. They jerked upwards and growled at her, but she stroked their hair again, humming a broken melody as she did. She felt their nails dig into her leg but they did not push her away. She kept stroking their hair and humming. The child began to calm, their fingers slowly retracted from her leg and buried themselves in the blankets again.

The angry, red eyed child did not come any closer to her nor did she move any closer to them, but she gave them what comfort she could. Gentle and broken, the only type of comfort she had to give. The child took it though and watched her with angry red eyes.

* * *

 

“Impressive” Breathed Gaster, his hand under his chin. His eyes were glittering with ideas and Sans felt sick again. He looked at the camera focused on Subject One and Eight. It was a surprising outcome. Usually Subject One did not tolerate anyone else in their enclosure. They were dangerous and yet…

Subject Eight had calmed Subject One. It was clear to see Subject One was still agitated, but they weren’t actively trying to murder Subject Eight and that was clear progress. They had once put Subject Three in with Subject One and despite Subject Three being five years older than Subject One, Subject One had nearly killed them. Gaster had been intent on letting it happen and harvesting the Soul afterwards, but Sans had separated them again. He had been furious with Gaster after that and had not come to work for three days before remembering he had to be here to keep Gaster in line.

Was that what he was doing here? Keeping the other man in line? That hardly seemed fair. When had Sans become the morals of the operation?

There are no morals down here. You’re playing with lives. His inner voice whispered, haughtily. Sans gritted his teeth and pushed the thought away, turning away from the cameras.

“Where are you going Sans?”

“Subject Eight was hurt in that scuffle that you found so impressive” He replied simply.

“Let them be hurt. I want to see what they do next”

“They were bit. Do you want them to get an infection?” Gaster waved the idea away with a careless swoop of his hand. Sans worked on keeping it together. Sometimes this man enraged him beyond words and he had less of a hold on his temper every day anymore. “Gaster, they need it looked at.”

“They will be fine” Gaster insisted, giving Sans a sharp look. Sans turned, his jacket flaring around him, stomping out of the room. He knew he couldn’t go the Subjects so instead he transported himself outside his own home.

He opened the door to find Papyrus home and talking on his cellphone to someone. Probably Undyne. Those two were best friends and it was nice to see that Papyrus had such a good friend, even if Undyne was a little too close to the third Royal Scientist for Sans’ own good. Of course Alphys mainly worked on other things while he and Gaster worked on the problem with Souls. Alphys was trying to find a way to preserves monsters after death as well, but she didn’t tell the King and Queen that. Only Sans and Gaster knew what her True Lab hid.

But not even Alphys had seen Gaster’s True Lab. If she had, there was no doubt she’d report what she had seen to someone. What they were doing down there…

“Brother! You have returned! I was just about to start making dinner! Are you hungry?” His brother was always so cheerful and happy. Sans smiled, ever so slightly, taking his lab coat off.

“Yeah bro. I’m gonna take a nap on the couch. Wake me up where dinner is done” He headed for the couch and he heard his brother sigh before heading into the kitchen. Sans laid down, listening to the familiar sounds of Papyrus banging around in the kitchen.

He put his arm over his eyes, hoping he could block out some of the memories for once but all he could think about was watching Subject One bite Subject Eight. Subject Eight didn’t even scream, didn’t cry, didn’t make any sounds at all. She had just pushed Subject One away – and _gently_ if what they saw on camera was anything to go by. She had just gotten far enough away from Subject One to be safe and then…they had comforted Subject One and succeeded.

Damn Gaster. Damn him for being right again. Smug fucking bastard…

“Sans! Sans!” Someone was calling his name and he moved his arm, looking up at his brother’s familiar face. “Lazy bones, dinner is ready…and you appeared to be having a nightmare…” He and Papyrus hardly talked about his job but Papyrus wasn’t stupid. He knew something was going on. He knew that something was haunting his brother. Sans wanted to tell him, to tell someone but he knew he couldn’t.

He was doing all this to protect Paps, to ensure he had a future under the sun. A future where he was safe and happy, a future where…

He shook his head, sitting up. No need to think about that. Not right now. He had to focus. He was at home, with Papyrus. Papyrus needed his attention now. If he let himself slip here…God the consequences…He didn’t think he could bear them. No, he had to bear them. This was his cross to bear. He had to remember that, this was his to bear alone.

“Sans?” Papyrus’ worried tone made him look up.

“I…I’m fine, Paps. Just….haha, I’m still kinda asleep, you know? I really am a lazy bones” He kept his tone casual and he saw Papyrus shake his head.

“It’s probably from sitting down all the time. It makes you sleepy! You should go on a jog with me someday! I’m sure Undyne wouldn’t mind!” He grinned and trotted out towards the kitchen. Sans followed him, laughing at the idea of going on a jog with Papyrus. Sans never usually walked long distances, instead depending on his power of teleportation, which Papyrus always said was cheating.

They ate dinner together and Papyrus told him about his day as they did. Sans listened to him, feeling himself relax ever so slightly. Papyrus was always good at that, always good at bringing him back to himself. He didn’t know what he would do without him.

He cleaned up after and began to get around to go to sleep for a while. He needed to sleep before he went back there. He didn’t trust Gaster with any of the Subjects but he couldn’t survive off naps. He was running himself ragged and he had a bad feeling…Well things were only going to get worse from here on out.

As he turned to walk towards the stairs he felt himself suddenly scooped up in Papyrus’ arms. The other skeleton hugged him tightly, lifting him off of the ground. He was so shocked that he just hung in Papyrus’ arms. He glanced up at his brother, a questioning look on his face.

“You seem so down today and who can stay down when experiencing one of my amazing hugs?” Papyrus laughed and gave him a solid squeeze. Despite everything, Sans found himself laughing. Papyrus laughed too and it was nice. It felt like everything was as it should be…and that dark lab was a lifetime away.

* * *

 

Gaster didn’t care that Sans had left. He was a temperamental one and he always needed time to calm down. It frustrated Gaster that Sans couldn’t keep his head on straight all the time, but he was young. He still had too many pesky morals. Someday that would wear out of him…but he felt like it wasn’t going to be soon enough. They had a timer ticking ever so slowly down and they had a deadline to meet…If Sans couldn’t buck up and be the partner Gaster needed in this project…well he’d have to resort to desperate measures.

His eyes returned to the camera showing Subject One and Eight. They looked very much alike, like they were siblings but Gaster knew that probably wasn’t the case. Subject One had been here a long time and it was doubtful that they had any family…or at least, a family that wanted them. Still, it was a curious though and maybe Subject Eight’s tests might shed some light on this minor mystery. He was getting distracted with the details though… Subject One had climbed on Subject Eight’s lap, curled into a ball, their face hidden in Eight’s stomach. Subject Eight was petting and patting Subject One in an attempt to sooth them. That was not something Gaster thought he’d ever see. He could hear, through the crackling speaker, that Subject Eight was even humming…some melody that Gaster could swear that he…

He leaned closer, trying to hear better. He just so happened to glance down and saw the notes Sans had written on Subject Eight. He leaned back, flipping through them until he came to the last paper in the pile. It was crumpled slightly and he smoothed it out, reading the message on the back, an amused smile coming over his features.

_AM I ALIVE?_

He glanced at Subject Eight again. Did they think this was some sort of nightmare that they could wake up from? Did they think this all a dream? Or did they think they were dead this was a punishment for their sins? He tapped his fingers against the table in a slow and steady rhythm. This Subject…They were different. They were going to change things. Gaster knew it. He could feel it in his bones.

And he had never been wrong yet.

He turned away from the cameras, grabbing the notes and heading to the lab. Subject Eight’s blood work needed to be run yet and there were so many other things to do until Sans got back from his “break”. When he got back, things would really kick up. They had a lot of work to do and with Subject Eight now with them, they might just make that deadline if they were lucky. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I changed the tags a little, simply because I'm still deciding the direct path of this story. It might take me a while to get the tags where I want them so if they keep changing on you guys, I'm sorry. Anyway, thanks for reading, have a good day everyone!


	3. Calling

Experiments started the next day.

Sans felt well rested, but worn down. Routine was killing him. Gaster stood, Subject Eight besides him. She looked nervous and kept glancing up at Gaster like she expected him to strike her. Sans walked in and Gaster had her sit on the table. She did as she was told, she had no reason not to. Sans saw how easily she trusted them, or at least she obeyed them. Subject One must not have spoken to her, other than to declare their hate for her.

That was a problem with Subject One…They _hated_ everyone, everything. They seemed to harbor the most hate for other humans though. Not that he blamed them after what they had done to the child…But he was getting off subject. His eyes rested on Subject Eight, who was lying on the cold metal table. She seemed nervous and he knew that soon she would see she had every reason to be. He touched her arm gently and he saw her head turn, her eyes met his. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry, but he clenched his teeth together, swallowing the words. They wouldn’t mean anything in a moment.

He and Gaster were quick, making the leather straps encircle both her wrists and then her ankles, snapping them shut, pulling them tight so she couldn’t struggle. She tensed and tried to struggle, but there were straps for her upper legs and upper arms, her neck, her head, to keep her still as possible. He saw her eyes swiveling to and fro, looking for escape, seeking a way out. He saw how she strained against the belts, trying to pull them up far enough to slip out, but there was no way out.  He handed the last two belts across her, to Gaster. One that stretched across her upper chest and the other across her stomach. She was held completely still, unable to move an inch. She struggled but it was in vain.

She didn’t cry out though, didn’t speak but her breathing was coming in panicked pants and she didn’t stop struggling. Sans wouldn’t have either if he had been in her situation.

Gaster made her soul show, the red heart sitting on her chest, glowing ever so slightly. Sans saw Gaster smile a little and then he moved across the room to the machine there. It looked like a drill, but it wasn’t to drill through flesh and bone – it was a machine used to extract bits of a soul, so that it could be studied. It didn’t harm the soul and the piece it took out was so small that it would actually heal in time but…it hurt, if the Subjects’ screams were anything to go by. Gaster said it was for the greater good, for them to understand the human soul. Each Soul, Gaster theorized, was ruled by what he called a ‘Passion’. This Passion could be anything but so far every one of their seven Subjects had a different ‘Passion’, a different driving force. A moral that they could not be without, a core to their being.

And Gaster wanted to see what Subject Eight’s Passion was. He had a theory and Sans already knew it was probably right. There was no need for this. This was painful, it _hurt_ to have a part of your Soul extracted. Gaster fucking knew that, but Sans had never been good at stopping the man. He had always just stood by and watched…and he hated that he did. But what was he going to do?

The end of the machine began to light up and Subject Eight struggled. The machine didn’t touch her, but the light gathered and just a little of it touched the Subject’s chest. Her screams were head splitting. She struggled, screaming and he was sure that the other Subjects could hear. Gaster had refused to soundproof the lab and he felt that it was to scare the other Subjects. Of course, maybe it was some sort of fear tactic. Sans wouldn’t put it past him.

Slowly the light pulled back and began to dim. Subject Eight was gasping and panting, sobbing and choking on her tears between pants. Gaster began to collect the fragment of the soul and Sans moved to release the bindings on Subject Eight. Gaster left without a word, as he usually did. He was focused on gathering information, ever the scientist. Sans was left to clean up the mess.

As soon as she was able, she curled into a ball on the table, shaking and shivering, still sobbing. He stood, clenching his teeth. It wasn’t as bad right? She was an adult so it wasn’t as bad as when they…He put his hands on her arm and gave her a gentle shake, turning her so she would get off the bed. He didn’t…couldn’t say anything to her. He hated this and yet he knew it was only going to get worse from here. Like Subject One, Subject Eight could be the key to finally stopping this.

It wasn’t for nothing. This was all for something, they were working towards a goal. This pain…it would be worth something in the end. But would any of the humans they hurt see it that way? This pain, the resentment for pain caused….But it was their only hope for escape as well. Would any of them believe him?

He held her off the table, being gentle. Her soul was fragile now. Souls could heal, given time and rest. If one was broken completely, there was no going back though. She just needed rest and then…well if she thought this was bad, she’d know true pain soon enough.

He kept a hand on her, since he couldn’t grab a hold of her soul with his magic less he cause her even more pain. He helped her along and they had barely gotten out of the lab when suddenly she grabbed a pen out of his coat and jabbed at him, hard, with it. She had jabbed at his eye socket and while she couldn’t hurt him that way, it startled him. He stumbled into the wall and she took off running. Dammit she was fast!

“Stop!” He yelled at her and he was going after her, as quickly as he could. She couldn’t get far, all the doors were sealed and the way up was hidden well. The lab was a maze unless someone knew how to get around.

He saw her turn the corner and he teleported. She skidded to a stop as she saw him and turned to run the other way. He just teleported again, this time directly in front of her. He grabbed her by her upper arms and felt her foot connect with his leg. It hurt, but he just held tighter. She eventually just went limp and he realized she was trying to slip out of his grip, so he threw her over his shoulder and marched towards her cell. He had to open two security doors, which was made difficult due to her wiggling and trying to escape on him once more, but he kept his hold.

He saw that Subject One was awaiting their return. They were sitting in the corner, arms around their knees, watching with their strange red eyes. He opened the cell and tossed Subject Eight in. He hated to be so rough, but she hadn’t left him with much choice. He closed the cell again and watched as Subject Eight, curled into a tight ball, their hands on their chest, as if they were trying to hold themselves together.

He watched as Subject One slowly came out of their huddle and walked over to Subject Eight. He expected Subject One to attack Subject Eight, to hurt them. He guessed Subject Eight expected that as well because they looked up at Subject One.

But then Subject One knelt and began to carefully stroke Subject Eight’s hair, as she had done for them before. Subject One did not hurt her, but they seemed to be…in a daze of some sort.  He stood there, wanting to observe it for himself. Subject One almost seemed…compliant in the presence of Subject Eight. But then they looked up at him, their red eyes narrowing in that dangerous way and Sans stiffened. They couldn’t hurt him, but Subject One always had a way about them

 _What are you looking at, trashbag?_ Their hands moved, talking in that same strange language that Gaster spoke in. He didn’t know how Subject One had learned…perhaps just from watching Gaster and learning slowly over the years they had been here. It made sense. Gaster was almost proud of them, it showed they had intelligence he said.

He didn’t humor Subject One with an answer, instead, turning and teleporting away. He had to see the results of Gaster’s tests. Besides that, Sans was pretty sure he’d be interested to hear of Subject One’s attachment to Subject Eight.

* * *

Frisk lay on the ground, feeling like she might never move again. She had high pain tolerance but…oh but…

She felt the child’s finger nails against her scalp. It hurt, but it was nowhere near the pain ringing in her chest, that made her shudder with every breath. The child didn’t dig their nails in with every stroke, just whenever Frisk seemed to be drifting close to sleep. They’d dig their nails in and bring Frisk back to reality, back to pain.

She wanted to ask them to stop, to beg them to, but she couldn’t make the words move past the lump in her throat. She was choking and so she shakily pushed herself to her knees. The child watched her with their creepy red eyes. Their hands moved but she didn’t understand what she was saying. She didn’t know sign language…and this wasn’t like it anyway. A lot of the gestures that the child was making seemed off.

When the child realized she had no idea what they were trying to say, she felt their nails rake down her face and she jumped back, her hand flying to her face, a short yell coming from her mouth. No blood was drawn, it was just to scare her it seemed. Well it worked.

And it made the tears finally well into her eyes and fall down her cheeks. She began to sob, for the pain, for this dark place. She had hoped that she would finally be free of all darkness when she had fallen. But it seemed this was punishment for her feeble hope. She had hoped she found a better place when they healed her, but they had only done it so they could hurt her worse than she had been. She sobbed, clutching her face and chest while the child watched.

She looked up at them, through her tears, wondering what their story was. How did they end up here? Why…Why were they all here? They called her Subject Eight and the child Subject One, so that had to mean that there were six more people down here, trapped, alone and scared. Six more people suffering.

For what? What did they hope to accomplish in this place?

What kind of Hell was this?

* * *

“Interesting. Very interesting” Gaster breathed and Sans sighed. He got tired of him saying that, but that seemed to be his favorite thing to say when he was right about something. He waited to hear more and he saw Gaster glance at him, seeming amused, as if he could read what Sans was thinking.

“Subject Eight has Determination, don’t they?” He asked, just wanting to get it over with.  Gaster glanced at him, his eyes glowing ever so slightly. He was excited by the possibility. Maybe Subject Eight was the key to all of this – at long last. This pain had a reason; there was a future for them all.

“They don’t have as much as Subject One does, but…something about their Determination is different than Subject One’s. Subject Eight’s Determination is…” He didn’t seem to have the words. The only thing he did was stand and smile, looking at the tiny fragment of the soul. “I’m going to try the DT Extraction machine.”

It was a work in progress. It had failed on most occasions, but this soul…he was right. It seemed different. It was like there was a halo about the soul, like there was more to it than met the eye. Sans bit down on his thumb bone lightly, thinking about it.

“Subject One has already become attached to Subject Eight. They were attempting to comfort them.” He told Gaster and the other man turned to him. Gaster rubbed his hand across his mouth and Sans could see him thinking hard about something.

“We may need to approach this differently than I had first planned…” He finally said. “I did not expect Subject One to become attached to Subject Eight.”

“They look similar too…” Sans noted out loud.

“Yes, I compared their blood samples and while I can find no sign of relation, the two them look remarkably similar, like siblings”  Sans crossed his arms, slightly surprised that they weren’t related but…It’d be hard to find anyone related to Subject One he supposed. Besides that…it had been so long…

“So what’s going to change?” He asked.

“We’re going to move everyone around. Subject One and Eight are to be separated for a while. While an attachment may be interesting to observe, especially in Subject One’s case, it’s a liability.” Gaster looked down at his notes. “Attachments mean they may band together….and more importantly, I want to see if they can spread their Determination to the others.”

“They already have their Passions though” Sans interjected. From what they found, a Passion could not and would not change in a human’s soul.

“Well, this may increase those as well…Besides I suppose we need to study the other Passions of a human soul. They’re very different from how Monster Souls are constructed…” He was flipping through his notes now, probably looking for something in particular. When he found it he stopped, holding the other papers on the clipboard back. “Yes now…I want Subject One placed with Subject Three. Subject Three was almost able to fight them off, correct? This time perhaps we’ll keep them in the same enclosure, just put something between them…”

Sans just nodded. Subject Three had been here a long time and they still put on a brave face every time someone came for them. They didn’t talk much but every time they did, it was with a fire in their eyes. They were no longer hopeful for escape, he knew that much. They had tried, they had tried many times but had failed every single time. Sans knew the punishment last time had made Subject Three decide it was better to wait it out.

“We can put Subject Eight with…Subject Five. They have the next highest concentration of Determination” He looked up from his notes, over at Sans. Sans didn’t say anything. “We’ll do this in a week, if nothing goes wrong. I’d like some more time to observe Subjects One and Eight together before we separate them.”

“That might be a good idea” For once Sans was on the same page as Gaster. The two of them had some strange bond and before they separated them for a while, it’d be good to…test that bond. It wouldn’t hurt them right? All they were doing was seeing how Subject One, who hated everyone and everything it seemed, had become attached to Subject Eight so quickly. He was a little worried about that personally.

They had let Subject One in enclosures with all the other subjects, singularly and in groups. Subject One attacked them, regardless. The hate they felt, had to be to their core. Gaster and Sans had both theorized that this hate, the endlessness of it, was what somehow fueled their Determination. There was no way to test that though…Not until now at least. They’d see what happened when Subject One made attachments.

Of course, they wanted to see if it worked the same way with Subject Eight first, of course she seemed so much gentler than Subject One. Weary almost…Sans knew how she felt.

They spoke a little longer, arrangements mostly; where they were keeping the others and how to keep Subject One from killing Subject Three, that sort of thing. It took a while and the two had relocated to the camera room so they could watch over the various subjects while they talked. Gaster, of course, focused on Subject One and Eight. Subject Eight was sitting on the corner of the cot while Subject One was sitting at her feet. Gaster was intrigued yet and Sans had to say that he was curious.

Subject One hated humans. They hated monsters. They hated everything. Yet, they didn’t seem to completely hate Subject Eight.

They sat there, quiet and compliant, staring at Subject Eight. Subject Eight seemed to be trying to ignore Subject One but…

“Are you going to cry about it forever?” A ghastly voice crackled over the speakers. Gaster glanced at Sans and Sans felt his eyes widen ever so slightly. Subject One was speaking. Subject One hardly ever spoke. Sometimes it was easy to forget they knew how to.

Subject Eight looked up at Subject One, probably as shocked as they were. She moved her mouth, opening it and then closing it. She wiped at the tears on her face. Subject One just seemed annoyed. Subject One stood, taking Subject Eight’s face in their hands. Sans could tell they were squeezing her cheeks, digging their nails into her skin.

“They’re going to kill us you know?” The voice was just above a whisper but the speakers caught it. It was hard to hear though, but Sans could see a dark look coming over Subject One’s face, the same look they got before they had attacked other Subjects. He stiffened but Gaster raised a hand.

“Wait” he cautioned.

“They’re gonna kill us all…” Subject One went on. “And no one cares. That’s why you’re down here right? No one cares.” Subject Eight shook her head, or tried to. Subject One had a tight grip on her face and was digging their nails in deeper, their forehead almost pressed against her’s. Subject Eight was trying to escape now, trying to push Subject One away. “They’re going to kill us” Subject One said one last time, almost singing the words.

Then they shoved Subject Eight away from them. Subject Eight’s head hit the wall, Sans heard the crack of it through the speakers. She was still awake and aware but she looked dazed and shocked that the child had done such a thing. Subject One paced away and the sound of them humming was picked up by the speakers. Sans stood and watched the cameras for another minute, but Subject One just paced and hummed. Subject Eight curled up on the bed and was silent.

“They certainly do have a bond of some sort” Gaster said finally. Sans agreed, though he hated to. Subject One hadn’t tried to kill Subject Eight yet and it was a record, that was for sure. Gaster tapped his fingers on the table, thinking. “We’ll see what happens. We may keep them together longer if the results are interesting.” Sans just nodded. “For now we should work on getting the other subjects prepped for the move. I’ll handle Subject Three”

Then Gaster was gone. Sans just looked at the camera where Subject Eight was sitting, cradling her head. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Not much longer, they had to be close. Subject Eight had to have _some_ answers locked away in their soul and once they found them…They’d all be free.

* * *

 

The child patted their hand on the floor to get her attention. Frisk looked up, blinking heavily. Her head hurt. Her vision was slightly blurry yet. She was tired but the pain kept her awake. The pain resounded in her head, in her chest, in her heart. It hurt to exist. So why…?

The child patted the floor harder and Frisk focused on them. They lifted their hand and made a single gesture and then traced something on the floor. _A_. They made the sign again with their hand and then wrote _A_ on the ground again. They did it one more time and then pointed at Frisk. She clumsily mimicked their hand gesture but they seemed satisfied anyway. They kept going, going through the alphabet, one letter at a time. They always made her sign back. She did it because she didn’t want the child to attack her again.

The child scared her.

There was anger and hate in their heart. A deep darkness that had known little light. Frisk was afraid of it. Her own heart shuddered, thinking of what this child must have been through in their life. It made her afraid for them too. If they had suffered, could they not be saved? Was there nothing to help them through this darkness? Frisk knew that there was little to help her through her own darkness…but surely a child…

They looked up and suddenly the child bunched together, like a startled cat, arching their back and baring their teeth. The child jumped up into Frisk’s lap, hiding their face in her stomach. Frisk looked up and saw the taller man there, the creepy one. Not the smaller one who always looked grim. This man always smiled, always looked amused. His eyes were glowing ever so slightly and against everything, Frisk felt herself holding tighter to the child, trying to protect them from this man.

He walked by, moving on.

Then to Frisk’s surprise another child walked behind him. This child was older, a teenager. He looked rough around the edges but he looked determined. Brave. He walked with his chin held high, shoulders straight, as if he wasn’t afraid. He glanced into their enclosure and his face became confused. She couldn’t read what else played across it because he was gone along with the creepy man.

The child was shaking and Frisk found herself petting them, trying to calm them in any way that she could. She felt them digging their nails into her leg, kneading. She looked down at them and their red eyes were open, staring blankly ahead, as if they could see something she couldn’t. She made a gently shushing noise, cooing gently to the child.

Why?

Why would she do this though? This child made her suffer. This child _hurt_ her and liked it. She saw the glee in their eyes with every strike, with cry of fear. They liked hurting people and yet…now that they were hurting, Frisk could only comfort, could only hold the child closer and hope that their own hurt passed soon. She frowned at herself, she had always been too kind and it was always her downfall.

 _It will be different with this child_ she tried to tell herself. If she were kind to them, perhaps they would learn to be kind as well. They were still so young and they had probably never known a comforting embrace. They just needed a little love and they would grow into a better person. A little love and to leave this awful place.

She wondered what they had done to this child, what was waiting for her in the future. Fear lay over her like a thick blanket, suffocating and warm. She tried to ignore how her hands shook as they stroked the child’s head. She would get through this. It would be alright. That’s what she had to keep in mind. Maybe that was why she was still alive – to save this child. A high power, a calling, whatever, it had her here so that way she would save this child and maybe the others stuck here as well.

A calling…it felt like a long time since she had one of those.

She leaned back against the wall, her body throbbing painfully, the child curled into her lap, hiding away from the cruel world. She sat there and wondered if she was strong enough for this. She closed her eyes eventually, tired from everything that had happened. Exhausted really. There was a reason for this place though, a reason she was here. She was going to try and answer that call. She had to.

She had nothing left to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a while hasn't it? I hope to begin posting this slightly more regularly soon. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter c:


	4. Sooner or Later

“Sans!” Sans did not want to wake up so he turned over, putting his arm over his head, hoping to ignore the other person.  “Sans you lazybones! Get up!” He finally rolled onto his back and looked up at Papyrus, standing over him with his hands on his hips. A sour expression was on his brother’s face, but that was probably because Sans had been trying to ignore him for so long.

“Sup, bro?”

“You fell asleep on the couch, again” He stated. “Why bother having a bed?”

“Because I sleep there every once in a while?”  He sat up and stretched. “I just…I had a long day, okay?”

Papyrus’ face became grim. “You _always_ say that, Sans. I’m worried.”

“About what, Paps?”

“You, Sans. You work so hard…I know what you and Doctor Gaster are working on is important and that you’re trying to find a way to free us but…I’m worried. You come home looking like you…Isn’t there someone else who can help Doctor Gaster for a while? So you can take a break?”

“I…I don’t think so Papy.” He couldn’t look at his kind and caring brother who was only worried about his happiness. It made the guilt eat at him, it made him feel like somehow he was betraying Papyrus.

“What about Doctor Alphys? She’s smart and she made Mettaton! She could surely help Doctor Gaster for a few days while you-”

“No, Papyrus.” His words came out harsher than he meant. He looked up at Papyrus, just in time to see the hurt play out on his brother’s face. “Papyrus…I mean…No. My research its…important…” He tried to save it but his brother turned away, walking glumly towards the kitchen.

“I just…want you to spend more time at home. I hardly ever see you. Sometimes you don’t come home for days at a time…and you’re starting to come home later and later again…” He half turned to glance at Sans. “I’m worried about you. You’re going to overwork yourself.”

Sans swallowed hard and clenched his teeth, glancing down. He couldn’t meet his brother’s eyes. Fuck, what was he doing? Why did he agree to this? He got ahold of himself and looked back up at Papyrus.

“Listen, I’ll come home early one night and we can do _whatever_.” He promised.

“Really?” And just like that Paps was back to his usual self. “Wowie! Well Mettaton is going to be having a show in Waterfall soon and I’d really like to go!” He couldn’t help but smile a little, just at his brother’s enthusiasm.

“Alright, cool. We can go see him.” He agreed readily. “When’s the show?”

“In a week! I already got tickets!” And then he was talking about how he had won them or something. Sans smiled as he listened, happy to hear his brother acting so normally. The brothers moved to the kitchen and Sans listened intently as Papyrus spoke. He would sometimes comment about something, but he mostly let Papyrus do the talking. Papyrus was cooking something for them to eat, as it was lunch time, while he spoke. Sans let him do that as well, knowing he enjoyed it.

“Man bro” Sans commented as they sat down to eat, “you’re pretty cool”

“Well that’s simple, it is because I am the great Papyrus!” He looked so proud of himself and Sans just smiled. It was a rare, real smile. Papyrus must have caught sight of it because he smiled as well. “I’m happy to see you acting almost like yourself today. Things must not be going so badly with your research then, right?”

“What…what do you mean?” His brow furrowed.

“When your research is going poorly, you’re moodier and you hardly smile. You and Doctor Gaster are doing great things aren’t you?” He smiled, so naïve in his belief in Sans and Gaster. Sans glanced away to hide the sadness in his eyes.

“Yeah. Great things” He muttered. Papyrus was about to say something when their door opened with a resounding _slam_.

“Hey nerds!” Undyne proclaimed coming into the house. “Paps why didn’t you answer your phone, you’re LATE.”

“Oh no! Warrior training!” Papyrus stood up fast. “I’m sorry Undyne, I was enjoying my famous homemade pasta with my small brother!” Sans gave a little wave to Undyne. She gave him a funny look. She had an…idea of what he and Gaster was doing. She was good friends with Alphys after all. Of course, not even Alphys knew what they were really doing…and he doubted Undyne even knew the extent of what Alphys was doing.

“Well, is your brother coming with us today? He looks like he could use a little training”

“No can do, _bass_.” Sans gave her wink. “I’m already running late. I just wanted to have lunch with Papyrus. Didn’t want him to get _bonely_ ”

“You must be feeling better today if you can let out such horrible puns!” Papyrus snapped. “Let us go before he corrupts our ears”

“Uh, Papyrus, you don’t even have ears…” Sans heard Undyne mutter. As they were on their way out the door, Papyrus stopped and looked back at Sans.

“We will go to that show, right?” he asked.

“Yeah. Promise, bro” He gave his brother a thumbs up and watched him walk out the door with Undyne. The door shut behind them and Sans sat in the empty house a moment. Feeling better huh? Maybe it was because there was more hope now than ever. There was a chance…He closed his eyes.

There was finally a chance for freedom.

* * *

 

How long had she been down here?

There was no way to tell time. Meals came at what she could guess was twice a day, but otherwise there was no way to mark the time. The child sat on the ground, staring at nothing. Again, Frisk wondered how long they had been down here, how long she herself had been down here. It felt like forever.

Her arms were covered in bruises and scrapes from the…experiments and the child looked much the same as she did. Bruised and scraped, but they were also very skinny. She noted that. The two meals were always very small and Frisk decided she was going to begin giving half of her food to the child, to help them. They needed to be strong, didn’t they?

Of course that came with its own set of problems – she would become weaker and if she was not careful…the child may kill her one day. She was not scared to die though. She was only scared of continuing to suffer. This was no place for anyone to be. That taller man – the skeleton, whatever he was – was cruel. He cared very little if he was causing them any sort of pain.  He just went about his work, ignoring their tears and their cries. The small one…he seemed…different but he was still hurting them. He still grit his teeth and caused them pain.

And yet…Frisk did not feel afraid of him and in fact…

He seemed sorry. Regretful maybe? She could never tell. He never met her eyes long enough for her to get a good read on him.

She heard the child’s hand slap against the ground to get her attention. She glanced up at the young one meeting her red eyes with her own golden ones. The child began going through the alphabet with their hands and Frisk did her best to keep up. They did this what seemed to be a few times a day. The child would sometimes spell out words and then make another gesture, making Frisk guess what it was. Getting it wrong was…generally bad. Not all of Frisk’s bruises were from the experiments that were being performed on her.

Just then she must have screwed up because she saw the flash in the child’s eye, that darkness like a coming storm. The child was on their feet and she hurried to rise so she’d at least have a chance to dodge the attack. She was just pushing herself up when the child jumped at her. She blocked it barely, the child’s teeth clamping down on her wrist. She yelled out and tried to get her arm out of the child’s mouth.

She saw red – blood – dripping from the corner of the child’s mouth and she supposed she lost it a little. She pushed the child, hard, struggling to get her arm away from them. They were _biting her so hard it was making her bleed_.

“That’s enough” Suddenly the child flew off her and was pinned to the far wall, their heart – their soul? – glowing blue. They snarled and struggled but they were pinned down and there was no escape. Frisk looked up at her rescuer and it was none other than the shorter skeleton. His eye was blazing, a bright blue smoke seeming to waft from within his eye socket. That glowing orb was focused on the child though and the child gave a scream of frustration. 

She walked towards him, lifting her hands, as if to tell him to drop the child. Despite everything…she did not want to see the child injured. They…they were hurting inside and they needed _help_ not to be hurt… His eye darted over to her and it narrowed ever so slightly, as if he didn’t understand what she was doing. She glanced over at the child and then at him and he sighed. The child dropped to the ground and immediately jumped at her. He stopped them again, suspending them in the air.

Suddenly the barrier was down between her and him. She found herself being jerked out into the hallway. She was pressed against the far wall, her own soul glowing a bright blue as he held her there. The barrier went back up and he finally released the child.

He let her off the wall and she stumbled back, barely catching herself. His eye was still glowing and he looked over, taking in account the scratches that hadn’t been there when they had placed her back in the cell the night before. She saw an almost defeated look in his eye.

“You okay, kid?” He asked. She nodded. He held his hand out, indicating her wrist. She glanced at it and then held it out. He inspected the bite but when he prodded it she pulled her arm away. “It’s bleeding pretty good. It should be treated.” She clamped her hand on it and shook her head. “Too bad that you don’t get to make the calls, now ain’t it?”

She took a step back from him. It just reminded her that, despite the moments of kindness he gave her, he was not to be trusted. He had brought her to this place. She remembered waiting up in the bed of golden flowers and wondering if he hadn’t been the angel of death. He was a skeleton after all and it would only be fitting. She hadn’t been scared of him then…and honestly, she really wasn’t scared of him now. She just didn’t trust him.

“Kid.” His tone was a warning. “Don’t make me”

She took a shaky breath and finally straightened her posture. She didn’t trust him, but he…he could do things. He could heal her, he could hurt her, she had seen him teleport. She had to play this by his rules, she had to listen to him. Maybe….maybe she could gain their trust. Maybe there was a way out in that. She doubted it, but…She didn’t want to be here anymore. She wanted to get the child and get out of here.

She glanced at the child, blood on their lips, sitting against the wall in their cell, watching her with their red eyes. They just watched, once again silent, their eyes emotionless. She couldn’t tell if there were mad or upset at her for leaving. She just hoped that they weren’t too terrible when she got back.

They walked down the hall, towards the room he had healed her in. She knew it now as a medical room. They examined her there often after an experiment. They’d bandage any wounds that were too bad and then send her back to her cell. They didn’t really ever use their…magic or whatever it was, to heal her anymore. She didn’t understand why they had bothered that first time.

He closed the door behind her and pointed to the table. She sat down obediently and waited as he got some bandages out of a drawer. He also got some things to clean the wound. He at least seemed to know some things about human medicine. He cleaned the wound, carefully, though she still hissed in pain because it did hurt. She knew it just meant the wound was going to be clean and she wouldn’t get a nasty infection from the child biting her. He wrapped it after and when they were done he began walking her back towards where the cells were. The child’s cell was the first one and they walked by it.

She stopped but he tugged on her soul, making her stumble after him. They walked on and she glanced into the other cells to see others. Sometimes all she saw were lumps on their cots, covered by blankets. Other times she saw them in full as they passed. They stopped finally and the skeleton opened the cell’s barrier. He pushed her inside and then it was back up, buzzing lightly behind her.

She turned back to the skeleton. He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t say anything. He just turned and walked away. The room grew silent. Had he put her in a cell alone or…?

“H-hey…you just Fell didn’t you?” She turned back towards the voice, startled. There was a boy standing there with cracked glasses and hair that was short and spikey. It was a light color, perhaps blonde, but it was dirty so it was hard to tell. He was a teenager, sixteen or seventeen, she thought. He pushed his glasses up his nose as he observed her. “Sorry I can tell. You’re different than everyone else whose been here a while”

She didn’t answer them. She kept her distance though, knowing that he could be more dangerous that the child. They were bigger…She brought her hands up to her chest, ready to fight or flee or do whatever it took to survive.

“No, wait…I won’t hurt you. I’m not…” They didn’t seem to know what to say. She saw the bruises on their arms and remembered this was a bad place for everyone. She lowered her hands, clasping them together so he wouldn’t see them shaking. Why was she here instead of with the child?

She walked a little further into the cell and sat down on the floor, like she would have with the child. She kept her legs close to her so if needed, she could kick her legs out. She was prepared to defend herself…but somehow she felt she wouldn’t have to. She didn’t quite trust this young man, but she wasn’t afraid of him either.  He came forward to sit a few feet from her, crossing his legs and letting his hands sit on his legs. He fixed his glasses again, pushing them up his nose.

Now that she could see them better, she could see they had been adjusted, the plastic on them thinned and stretched, molded so they fit his face, probably as he grew. Just how long had he been down here, she wondered?

“Uh…My name is Az” He finally said. “What’s yours?”

She was silent. She wanted to tell him but…

“Don’t you speak?” She hesitated and then she shook her head. “I see…Well, um…” She held up a hand and then began using her hands to spell out her name. He watched, narrowing their eyes. She could tell he didn’t get it. So instead she wrote her name out on the floor one letter at a time. She saw him mouthing the letters.

“F-R-I-S-K…Frisk?” He asked, hesitantly. She nodded, smiling a little. “Well it’s good to meet you Frisk – or well, I wish it was” He glanced around the cell and a frown touched his face. “How did you end up down here…or well I guess you can’t tell me since you don’t speak. Uh…Why don’t I tell you how I ended up down here instead?”

She nodded, encouraging him with another, wider smile. Maybe this wasn’t so bad…but so much of her still worried for the child. What was going to become of them now that she was no longer there?

* * *

 

“Careful….careful” Gaster breathed as they watched the soul before them. It was grey and washed out, but looked steady. A monster soul that they had created artificially.  It was a little unsteady but so far it was still holding out. So far, it had not broken. Sans clenched his teeth, nervously watching the computer. Everything was steady enough for now, but would it stay steady enough for them to create a body for it?

There was no way to tell for now.

Just then, Gaster’s phone rang. He motioned for Sans to step in and monitor the computer. He traded places with him and kept switching his eyes between the soul itself and the computer screen. It showed the estimated stability of the soul. It was never good, but this was the best they had gotten, 32.6 percent stability. Not good enough for a body yet, they’d need at least fifty percent for that and that was a long road off apparently. Every time they had tried, the body always turned to dust within an hour and the soul shattered afterwards.

“Yes, hello? …Why yes sir” Gaster was pacing away, speaking onto his phone. “We could do that today, yes. We will be there shortly, sir. …Yes sir, we both have eaten today. No sir, not recently but -….Understood, sir.” He sighed and Sans knew it was the King. The King was a kind man and often called to check up on them. Made sure they were eating and sleeping and would call them to discuss what they were researching at least once a week.

Sans kept his eye on the soul however and Gaster drifted away from him, still talking intently to the king. Sans kept his eyes on the Soul. They needed a way to preserve them better. They could keep artificial ones from shattering, only through careful means, but real ones…Well, they never had a live monster’s soul to work with but Gaster guessed that they’d not be able to keep it from shattering.

“Yes, Your Majesty. We’ll be there shortly.” He heard Gaster click his phone shut and he walked back over. “Let it go” He ordered.

“What? But it’s stabilizing!” He pointing to the screen which showed it stability had gone up to 33.9. It wasn’t much, but it was getting better. If they just gave it time.

“We’ll just make another. It’s not like these souls can feel anything. We have to go to the palace. The King has invited us” Gaster seemed annoyed and Sans knew it was just because he didn’t like the idea of the soul shattering any more than Sans did.  They had to go though. Sans stepped back and Gaster turned off the monitor.

They both turned away, knowing it would only be a few seconds until the soul shattered. Gaster began walking away but Sans turned back, watching the crack appear down it’s center and only a second later, it did shatter. He sighed, following after Gaster. They were getting closer and yet…There were so many setbacks.

The two of them teleported right outside the castle. Gaster hesitated, settling himself, into the usual pleasant mask that he wore when visiting the King. Sans settled into the blank one that he used. He just wanted to get this over with. He just wanted to report in and head back out. He was tired of lying to the King and Queen…but it was what they needed to do, wasn’t it? If they wanted to save everyone, their research couldn’t be interrupted. Not for anything…or anyone.

Subject Eight’s face flashed through his mind. Her eyes looking up at him after she had fallen, the scars on her body, the silence she kept. The faces of the other Subjects too…they were hurting so many people. But this was the price they had to pay, wasn’t it? Would they ever be forgiven?

“Thank you two for coming on such short notice” Asgore greeted them inside the palace. Today they were meeting in his home. They moving to the dining room where there was already tea made and waiting for them. Sans slipped into the seat next to Gaster and took the cup in his hands. It was warm and his hands felt so damn cold. He glanced at them, wondering if he had any dust on them…then again, they hadn’t killed a real monster. Had they?

“We wanted this to be a much more casual meeting” The Queen was walking in with one of her famous butterscotch cinnamon pies. They were exceptionally good – no one made them like Queen Toriel. “Would you gentlemen like a slice of pie?”

“I do! I do!” Asriel was suddenly running into the room. For a moment, Sans saw Subject One running behind him, their cheeks flushed from running. He shook his head slightly and glanced at Gaster who gave him a brief, worried look.

“Alright, alright, my child” Toriel laughed.

“Can I actually stay and talk to Doctor Gaster and Sans?” He seemed so excited by the possibility, as if he and Gaster were heroes. Like they were worth the admiration.

“Of course” Asgore said, ruffling his son’s hair. Soon Asriel was seated and animatedly talking about his day while eating his pie. His parents both looked at him like he was a precious treasure – and Sans knew their son meant the world to them. He was part of the reason they wanted to escape. They wanted him to see what he had never seen; the sun.

“And theeen, Armie told me that just because I was the Prince, it didn’t mean I got to be a Monster every time we played Monsters and Humans” Asriel was saying. “But I’m better at being a monster and Armie acts just like a human”

“And how would you know what a human acts like?” His father asked.

“Well…he’s not good at the game.” He shrugged and fell silent for a moment. “If he was better, he could be the Monster and I’d be the Human” He finished off his pie and began drinking his tea.

“Erm…Anyway,” Asgore cleared his throat before his son could begin to speak again.  “How are things going?”

“Well enough, your Majesty” Gaster answered. “Things are going…splendid in fact.”

“Excellent!” The King smiled.

“Of course they would be! You’re an amazing scientist, Doctor Gaster! And Sans is amazing too, isn’t that right?”

Sans felt himself smiling. “Yeah, kiddo. We’re pretty _baaaaaah_ -d ass.”

“Sans!” The Queen gave him a stern look, but the corner of her mouth was turned up, amused, the look in her eye not as harsh as it should have been. He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “No cursing in front of my _kid_ ”

And then they both laughed. While the Queen could be harsh and seemed to see right through their bullshit, Sans got along with her most of the time. Truth be told, he had a weakness for bad jokes and she felt the same weakness. Anyone who liked bad jokes couldn’t be bad, after all.  He heard Asriel groan and both Gaster and the King looked slightly annoyed.

“Alright, alright” Queen Toriel conceded. A smile was still on her face and Sans saw Gaster relax, even just a little bit. A happy Queen was one who didn’t question what they were really doing in that lab down there. She would probably let any other, more detailed questions slide for now. Sans glanced over at Gaster and he saw a satisfied smile on his face.

That smile had always made Sans feel a little sick.

He turned his gaze back to the King and Queen and the Prince, trying to ignore Gaster. Sans really hadn’t meant to help them – him – but had only meant to ease the King and Queen’s worries. The King worried about what they did…but sometimes he felt Queen Toriel saw right through them. She was perceptive…and there was probably a mom joke in there somewhere, but Sans wasn’t going to think it over.

They talked a little more over tea – about simple things; how Papyrus was (“Is he still training to be a royal guard?” “He is. Do you think he has the guts for it?”); Mettaton’s latest show (“I’m not sure if its appropriate for children to watch him though…” “C’mon, mom! Mettaton has the hottest legs!”); and even about how rumor had it that two of the Royal Guards were dating (“01 and 02…I think it’s rather sweet don’t you think, honey?” “Maybe, but they’ll never beat us as Nose Nuzzle Champs!”). It was a nice day and it made Sans think back to him and Papyrus talking when he had woken up.

It was a different kind of day, almost slower. Calmer. Less stress for him. He was thankful for it. It gave him time to reflect on what the future might have in store for him and his brother. What might happen when they finally took down the barrier. Papyrus wanted a red car, so he could feel the “wind in his hair” and Sans knew he’d get one. Sans would make sure of it himself.

“We should be going, your Majesties” Gaster stood and bowed his head. “The pie and the tea were amazing. Thank you both so much. It was also nice to see you as well Prince Asriel”

“Come back soon, okay?” Asriel smiled at them both and Sans stood as well.

“Sans…Wait” The Queen stood fast. “May I have a word with you?”

Gaster looked at him and gave him a small nod. Out of the two of them, Sans had always been better with the Queen. Gaster teleported away and Sans turned to the Queen. King Asgore was leading his son out of the room, talking about needing to water the garden.

“My husband loves those flowers so” The Queen said fondly, a smile on her face, her eyes gentle. “I always wonder where you and Doctor Gaster found the first seeds for them from…” Sans smiled back and shrugged his shoulders, as if he didn’t remember. But he did. Subject One had been covered in the sticky yellow seeds when they had fallen.  “Anyway, I wanted to ask you, are you getting close or not?”

“We are” He said simply. “Don’t worry, your Majesty, we are getting close.”

“I worry. Things are getting…worse down here. There’s no room, overpopulation is becoming a real issue. If only a couple humans would fall down…we could ask for their assistance” She put her hand under her chin and began to pace.

“…What makes you think they would help us?”

“I believe in the good in everyone. Surely, the humans who fell…well who would come to this cursed place unless they had nowhere else to go? No other choices…I’m sure…I’m sure the souls who would come here would be lonely and in need of a friend. But I doubt there is any place for them to fall down into here. We are trapped…And I suppose our only salvation is you. And Doctor Gaster of course”

Sans rubbed the back of his head. He felt bad. He was lying to her, they both were. To everyone else, there was no way down into the Underground, there was no way for humans to get down here. But Gaster and Sans knew…and as he looked at the Queen, he felt a chill go down his spine. She knew as well – somehow.

“I would like you to know, that if you do discover a way for humans to…fall down here, to enter the Underground, that you are to tell me straight away. Any humans that come down here are probably tortured souls and they will need to be sheltered.” She turned away from him at last and he knew that she knew… No that wasn’t quite right.

She suspected what they were doing, but didn’t have a clear idea yet. She probably knew they had a human – but she probably couldn’t imagine they had eight of them. He nodded, though she had never turned back to him.

“Of course your majesty” He said simply.

“And Sans?” She turned to look at him once more. “I want to conduct a personal inspection of Doctor Gaster’s lab. Soon.” Then the Queen swept out of the room. Sans felt like he was choking. She couldn’t come there – not…No.

He teleported in a rush, nearly stumbling into Gaster in the lab. He was with Subject Two at the moment. Her face was stained with tears and she was trembling slightly, but she was sitting on the examination table, no bindings, clearly just waiting.

“We have a problem” He said simply.

“Can’t it wait? I’m trying to test my hypothesis.” Gaster seemed calm, which was strange after a meeting with the King and Queen. Apparently he had thought that shitshow went well – of course it did to him. The Queen’s words rung in his ears. She wanted to come down here, to see if they had a human. She was onto them. She knew. Somehow.

“The Queen fucking knows we have humans down here, Gaster” He snapped.

“Did she say that?”

“No. Not directly, but she implied she knows. I figure she thinks we only have one – but if she finds out we have _eight_ …”

“What do you think we should do?” Gaster’s question caught him off guard. When did he care what Sans thought?  Sans was emotional – and that could cost you. He made sure to pound that into Sans’ head. His emotional state was going to cost them one day and…

“We need to speed up experimentation” He said. He hated saying it. It meant more pain, more horror, more blood – all on their hands, all at the cost of the Subjects.

“Very good” Gaster had clearly wanted that answer.

“No! No! No! No!” Subject Two began sobbing. “No more! Please! Please! I have waited – I have done my time, I have…”

“Silence” Gaster had her against the wall, her head smacked against it hard and she went limp. “We focus on those that could get us what we want. I need a piece of both Subject One and Eight’s souls and then we will put them through the DT Extraction Machine. If all goes well, we will have pure Determination to work with”

“What are we going to do with it?”

“Simple, we’re going to start injecting it in the other Subjects and then we will harvest it from the fragments of their souls until we have enough to smash the barrier” Sans looked at him a long moment. He was torn between being disgusted by his plan to knowing it was the only way to finish this fast. With two souls that seemed to have the Passion of Determination…they might just be able to pull this off.

“Alright.” He said, knowing it didn’t matter if he agreed with Gaster or not. Gaster was going to do this no matter what…but at least Sans could protect the Subjects…a little. Help them with the pain where he could. “Where do we start?”

“Get me Subject One while I finish up with Subject Two”

Sans turned and left the room, walking quickly towards the cells. He found Subject One, their hands covered in blood. Subject Three had several deep scratches on their arm. He looked up as Sans stood there. His eyes were angry and pained. Sans glanced at the red of Subject One’s eyes. They were pleased, smiling as they tapped their bloodied fingers on the ground.

_What do you want, trashbag?_ Their fingers lifted and moved. He frowned at them and took one hand out of his pockets and used it to take a hold of both of their souls.

“You’re going to be contained alone for a while. I guess you deserve it for making this mess” He glanced against at Subject Three. They adjusted their back against the wall and avoided looking at Sans. His Passion was Bravery – and he was a brave soul indeed. He never gave up, he always tried to stand tall. Sans hated that this kid was trapped down here.

He opened the cell and scooted Subject One out of the cell, closing it afterwards. He could see Subject Three physically relax. Not that Sans blamed him, Subject One was a monster – but who had made them that way?

_Let me go! I can walk!_ Subject One signed, their red eyes glaring at him. He shrugged but kept a hold on their soul. They tried anything, he needed to have control and they were a fast little monster. They walked down the hall and he felt that Subject One knew where they were going. They didn’t quake though, they walked on, that creepy smile on their face. For some reason they just loved the suffering of others.

“Its almost time” He heard them whisper and Sans narrowed his eyes at them. Their creepy smile never faded and he stopped but they walked on. Sans clenched his teeth – they were right, it was almost time for this to end.

So why did he feel like this was only the beginning?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I do hope you guys are enjoying this story. I'm enjoying writing it. I think i like an evil Gaster. Anyway, thanks for reading :D


	5. Monsters And Humans

“No! Noo! Noooooo! Stop! Stop it! Stop it right now!”

Sans clenched his teeth, pressing them together so hard that it hurt his jaw. The screaming went on and on and Gaster was taking notes, as if this was the simplest thing in the world, as if it were easy to watch. As if it were easy to ignore the screams, the pain, the sin.

He watched Subject Two thrash and reject what they had done to her. Determination was essence of a Soul and to inject it into another living thing – well it could have two effects. It could either merge with that living thing or the soul of that living thing could try to reject it. Either way it was awful and painful from what they could tell, but at the same time it was working. Perhaps that was the worst part of all of this.

He felt his pen snap in half and he didn’t move to grab it. He just let it spin across the floor, smacking into the table. Gaster gave him a disapproving look, he saw it from the corner of his eye, but he focused on Subject Two. They had her wrists and ankles bound down. She thrashed though and screamed – oh how she screamed.

“Sans.” Gaster’s voice was low but he heard it above the screaming. He looked up at him, feeling like his clipboard would be the next thing to snap. “Go feed the other Subjects. Its well past their meal time”

Sans didn’t say anything, he sigh sighed, closing his eyes tightly. She was still screaming. Still in pain. Still his fault. She was still just a  _child_...

“I’ll administer a sedative in a moment. Subject Two has always been one of the weakest of them. They’ll be fine” Was Gaster really trying to reassure him? Was this really what Gaster was trying to do? Because it was a fucking joke – they were all suffering. To watch them every time was killing Sans. He hated this so much. The Queen wanted to see the lab though and Sans knew she was going to come down here one way or the next. If they fought her, she’d only use it as proof that they were doing something they shouldn’t be.

“Go Sans” Gaster spoke again and Sans went. It wasn’t worth the argument.

He teleported into the lab’s kitchen, where the meals were prepared for the subjects and himself and Gaster alike. That was, if he and Gaster remembered to eat. He knew he hardly did and he was glad for that. That little show he had just witnessed would have made him ill otherwise. The subjects were growing Determination within them though and Gaster thought that soon they’d be ready to “harvest”. How would that feel? They’d be…they’d be scraping off a part of their very _soul_.

Gods…How did he get into this. But there was four days until Mettaton’s concert. Gaster had managed to negotiate with the King, make a royal inspection in two weeks instead of one. The Queen was not happy. Now she was _sure_ they were hiding something, but she couldn’t prove anything at this point. The King trusted them – trusted them enough to push back the inspection. The Queen was furious, but she simmered silently.

Sans got the meals around – simple things. Sandwiches, some chisps, a little bit to drink. Simple, but mostly healthy, to keep them in the best of shape so that experiments could go on and on and…

He pushed the cart down the hall, trying not to think too hard. He came upon the first cell. Subject One was looking bloodied, but smug. Subject Three’s wounds were all bandaged and they looked wary. He lowered the barrier, slid two meals towards them and then closed it again. He left Subject Two’s meal in her cell. Subject Four barely looked at him as he sat down her meal. As he approached Subject Five’s cell he head laughter. He stopped. There was murmured speaking and then someone laughed again – a female voice, high and clear. He abandoned the cart and crept forward. He peeked into Subject Five’s cell.

Subject Five and Eight were sitting across from each other. Subject Five appeared to be telling a story, barely holding back laughter himself. Subject Eight would laugh and then Subject Five would too – but her laugh outshined his. When she laughed, it was nothing like her usual expression. Usually she looked sad, scared, half-dead as was, wishing she was dead probably. When she laughed, her whole face seemed to glow and when she smiled, as she was now, her golden eyes seemed to sparkle. It didn’t matter that the clothes she wore were dirty or that her hair was a tangled mess at the moment – her laugh washed all that away and she looked so…pure. Innocent, like she didn’t belong in this world.

They must have caught sight of him because suddenly the fear was back in her eyes and he wanted to cry out in frustration. The beauty of her laughter, the simple innocence of her smile…that was something he rarely had seen. It was so bright in the bleak place, his soul ached. He wished he had never brought her here. She deserved better than this. They all did, he knew that, but those bright golden eyes should never have known this type of fear. It was unfair.

Subject Five had stood and was standing before her, as if to protect her. He was shorter than her, his glasses sitting awkwardly on his face. His eyes were determined. Sans turned away, cursing that Gaster was at least partly right. He returned to his cart and brought them their food. Subject Eight looked at him, her golden eyes simmering with mistrust and fear. He wanted to reassure her and tell her – what? What could he tell her? Nothing that would make her trust him.

He just moved on. Subject Six kindly took his food and bowed his head. Subject Seven wouldn’t meet his eyes when he slid her food into her cell, but when he turned and left he felt her eyes on his back – judging the sins crawling there.

He stopped at Subject Five’s cell again. Subject Eight and Five were eating quietly within. They both glanced up when he stopped there. He wanted to crack a bad joke, anything to hear that laugh again. Instead he tried to smile, just a little. Subject Eight stood, setting her food down and walked towards the barrier. It flared to life as she got close. She focused on him a long moment, lifting her hands. He was surprised she had anything to say to him at all.

_You hurt_

She wasn’t the best at signing, her fingers clumsy. It took her a bit to manage to sign that much. He got the message though. He lowered his eyes. Yeah he hurt them – he got that already…did she really have to rub it in?

There was a buzz and he looked up, her hand slightly burnt from touching the barrier. She shook her head and her fingers moved again. She hesitated a little, spelling out words, shaking her head and starting over twice.

_You are hurting_

He stared at her a long moment. Her golden eyes were sad, but in that sadness he saw wisdom. He saw understanding. Compassion for a captor – for someone that was hurting her, that was hurting others. He felt tears in the corner of his eyes. He had to rip his eyes away from her.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about”

And then he teleported away. Next time Gaster wanted the Subjects fed – he was going to have to do it his damn self.

* * *

“Less than a week and look at where we’ve gotten.” Gaster was so smug, so pleased, so proud. It had come at a cost however. All eight of the Subjects were worse for the wear, this Souls damaged…though not beyond repair. It was not enough though. They still didn’t have enough time. Sans didn’t get why Gaster was so proud.

He didn’t say anything. Gaster was looking at the pure Determination they had gather. Not enough though. Nowhere near enough. It would take too long for their souls to recover, at least a week. If not more. Two weeks would be better but by then…Sans knew everything was over. They were finally going to get caught, after all these years it was over. This was going to end and what would happen then? Would he and Gaster be punished? Would they be allowed to keep experimenting?

Gaster was speaking again, but Sans didn’t hear him until he said “…We’ll give them three days rest and then we’ll harvest again-”

“Three days?!” Sans interrupted him. “ _Only_ three days? You-you can’t be serious!”

“Three days is plenty of time for them to recover and if we-”

 “If we want their souls to shatter maybe!” He snapped. Sans didn’t know where this sudden boldness came from. He usually kept his thoughts to himself and never stood up to Gaster but…Those sparkling golden eyes haunted him. That laugh, that smile – why did it bother him so? Why did it make his soul ache so? That one moment of happiness, of innocence, had followed him like a ghost in these halls, it had haunted his thoughts. “They need more time! We need more time! There has to be a way around this”

“Then what do you suggest?”  Gaster’s voice was cold and cool. He was angry - but Sans was angrier.

“Anything else. That doesn’t _kill_ them. What good are they to us, dead?”

Gaster was eerily silent. Sans gave him a hard look. Finally Gaster sighed, running a hand across the top of his head. His fingers danced down his cheeks, as he picked words carefully. Finally Gaster turned to look at Sans.

“Sans, do you know how the humans sealed us Underground?”

“…What?”

“Do you know the story?”

“Everyone does.” He huffed. “There was a war – heavy causalities on the monster’s side, but the humans still feared the monsters so they sealed us underground” He didn’t remember the details anymore, but most of it was legend and hearsay anymore anyway.

“Do you know how long ago that was?”

“…A couple generations ago?”

“Five to be exact” Gaster moved a chair and took a seat in it, giving Sans a heavy look. “At least its been five for monsters…or well, most monsters anyway. Some of us age slightly different – but we all age differently from humans. “ Sans didn’t understand what this had to do with his anger. “As you’ve noticed, I’m sure, we monsters age slower than humans. Some, as I said, slower than most. Many monsters do not know this and how could they? We’ve been separated from humans just long enough for them to forget. “

“What’s the point of this?” He wasn’t getting what Gaster was trying to explain to him.

“The point is, you don’t know as much as you think you do.” Gaster’s voice was cold and dark, distant and disinterested. “You don’t know how or why we were locked here, you don’t know anything about humans or monsters or the relations of the two.”

“Why do I need to…What is the point of this? Why are we doing this? What’s the real reason?” Sans was pissed – he had enough of Gaster’s game.

“I’ll tell you when you are ready to know.”

“I want to know _now_ ”

“I’ll tell you when you’re done acting like an insolent child!” Gaster growled back, his eyes narrowing.  Sans felt his face flush slightly and he clenched his teeth. “I _will_ tell you that we are doing what we must to save the monsters of the Underground. We are doing what’s right – if it seems like it or not. Do you really think I…” His words faded and Gaster suddenly looked troubled. He looked down and ran his hand across his face again. “I’m going to go for a bit.”

He stood, taking off his labcoat.

“Where?”

“Out of the lab. To visit Alphys perhaps.”

Sans said nothing more. He realized that perhaps he was acting like a child. Gaster didn’t…Gaster didn’t like this anymore than Sans did. Not really. He pushed it all aside for the sake of everyone though. He hid it well. Sans watched Gaster teleport away without another word. It was strange, being alone in the lab.

He looked at the Determination they had gathered, how far they had come. Three days. No matter what, it wasn’t enough. All the good intentions in the world didn’t make up for putting these…these _children_ through hell.

And her.

Her too. She wasn’t a child, but  it didn’t mean that she deserved this anymore than anyone else. That carefree laugh, that gentle smile…

Before he knew what he was doing he was teleporting. He teleported outside Subject Eight and Five’s cell. Usually it would have startled them, but they were curled together on the cot, looking gaunt and tired. She had dark rings under her eyes. They both looked ill. Subject Five’s head was on her lap, she was stroking their hair, though her hands shook lightly.

She looked at him silently, ruefully. He didn’t blame her. He stood on the other side of the barrier, looking at her. He knew what he should have done, was to go home, relax, cool down. Prepare to get the story out of Gaster. He needed to have a plan. But, as he looked at her golden eyes, he didn’t care about making a plan.

He lowered the barrier. He didn’t bother to even take a hold of their souls. He walked in, to the cot and held out a hand for her. She looked up at him, her brown hair falling over her shoulders. She laid Subject Five’s head gently on the cot, covering him with the blanket. Then she took his hand. He helped her to her feet and out of the cell. He closed the barrier and teleported them away.

They reappeared in the camera room. He let her sit in the seat that Gaster had not long ago occupied. She looked around the room, her eyes wide and frightened. Her hands were against her chest, wringing nervously. He sighed, leaning against the table the monitors were on. Why….why had he brought her here?

He was silent a few moments. She just stared at him, as if waiting for him to do something horrible to her. In truth…he had just wanted a moment alone with her. A moment not on the cameras. This room was one of the only rooms that did not have a camera in it.

“You don’t have to be scared, I’m not going to hurt you” He told her. “I just wanted…”

What? To see her smile again? That fear on her face told him that she would never smile because of him. It just wasn’t who he was, it wasn’t what he had earned. He had been her captor, her torturer, he had hurt her. He would keep hurting her.

She lifted her trembling hands. _What do you want?_

“Nothing. I just…I just want you to relax a moment.”  It sounded like a false offer, even to him. He could see her eyes narrow in suspicion. She looked around, her lips turned down into a thoughtful frown.

_We cannot be seen here, can we?_

“No.”

_Why bring me here? Won’t the other one get mad?_

“He doesn’t need to know everything that I do” He said simply, a frown on his own face. “Look…I just…I just wanted to tell you that…” Tell her what? Tell her that he was sorry? Could one apologize for the sins he had inflicted upon this poor girl?

_You are hurting_

The same thing she had said the other day. He looked at her a long moment. She stood slowly, it was clear she was in pain. She walked slowly over to him and he tensed, unsure of what she was going to do. She could attack him, get angry, yell…become violent, like any of the others would. He couldn’t blame her. He had done horrible things to her since bringing her here. He had reduced her to a Subject. No longer a person with her own dreams and visions – but a Subject to be experimented on.

Instead of her lashing out, she wrapped her arms around his neck and she pressed her body to his. A hug. An embrace.

He stood in shock, his arms at his side. Comfort.

It made him realize at that moment that despite her Passion being the same as Subject One’s, she was completely different. That the others would react to her completely differently. If Subject One was Action, Subject Eight was Mercy. And it felt wonderful to be embraced by her, to feel the mercy she had for him. He closed his eyes, burying his head in her shoulder. His arms wrapped around her.

He had made a choice and now there was no going back.

* * *

 

“Tell me everything” Sans looked at Gaster and Gaster sighed, as if he wished he had said nothing. “You have to tell me everything. I need to know.”

 “I do not…” He started but he must have caught a look in Sans eyes that made him change his mind. He sighed heavily.  “Fine. Sit down”

They were in an office and they both took a seat and got comfortable. Gaster took a drink of the coffee sitting next to him. He ran his hand over his head again and then tapped his fingers on the table. Sans tried to exercise patience. He had to act like he could wait at least. He had to hear this story, he wanted to understand. If Gaster was to be believed, there was a lot to learn from simply understanding something.

“A long time ago, humans and monsters both lived on the surface. Humans mostly lived with humans and monsters with monsters…but there were times were we overlapped and lived together. It benefited both sides…but that was how humans learned the particular _ability_ monsters seemed to share.  That we  could absorb the soul of a human after they died and that humans could not do the same with a monster when they turned to dust. At first, the humans didn’t seem to even care…but fear has a way of turning people and it turned the humans against us quickly.”

“This is all the sort of stuff baby bones learn in school” Sans stated drily. He was trying to not be annoyed, knowing Gaster had a reason for going over all of this…but he was impatient. He wanted to know _now._

"Do you know how humans benefited from their relationship with monsters?” Gaster asked, though it was clearly a rhetorical question, as he answered it less than a second later. “Magic. Only every once in a while is a human born that can naturally use magic. Most humans are too in tune to their physical bodies to ever be able to use magic…but humans who spent time with monsters found that they could begin to learn. The longer a human spent with monsters, the stronger their magic became.”

“But…humans sealed monsters away with magic”

“That’s the irony of it all, isn’t it?” A smile touched Gaster’s face but it was a bitter smile. “Seven of their greatest magicians created the barrier to the underground, sealing us here. But, what the humans didn’t realize is that without us, their ability to use magic…would quickly die out. Now of course, every once in a while they’ll have a human born with the talent, but I’m sure that there aren’t as nearly many talented magicians in the ranks of the humans than there were back when we walked the surface. It’s been generations of humans since monsters walked among them – eight or nine to be sure. Perhaps as many as ten. We are nothing but a fading legend to them. They sealed us down here and forgot about us”

“So…what?” Sans didn’t understand what the point of telling him all of this was.

“The barrier was sealed with Soul Power – with Passion. With Determination. That is why we are doing what we are doing. It would take the Soul of every monster in the Underground to equal that of one human soul. But there has to be a better way…don’t you think so, Sans?”

“I suppose so…” He felt like there was something that Gaster had left out, on purpose.

“By the way” Gaster stood, grabbing his coffee as he did. “I think…I have found a way to keep the Queen from finding out about our… _project_.”

“O-oh?” Sans perked up a little at that.

“Yes. Well, perhaps. We’ll see.” It had only been a few hours since their argument, since he had put Subject Eight back into her cell. They had spoken very little but there was a new understanding between them he thought.

_Put me back with the child_ She had signed at him as he had prepared to transport them back to her cell. _Please, they need me_

“I think we should put Subject Eight and One together again” Gaster gave him a look. “Subject Eight was the only one that One has not tried to kill…or not tried as hard. I think they need to be kept together. Besides, all of that Determination together has to be good for something right?”

“Actually…I’ve been thinking of just putting them all together” Gaster said. “Subject One creatures fear, but for some reason Subject Eight seems to be able to bind them together. She bonded quite quickly with Subject Five – much faster than I would have guessed.” He paused. “But it would be a good idea to give Subject Three a break from Subject One.”

Sans nodded, biting down on the slight excitement he felt. She would be so happy to be back with the child – wouldn’t she? She had seemed seem so desperate to be reunited with the child. Attached maybe.

“I’ll prepare a cell for them all.”

“The large one should do. Make sure they all get to shower before then and heal any wounds that you can as well…” Gaster paused a moment. “Most of what I’ve told you of monsters and humans is not common knowledge so I’d appreciate it if you do not tell anyone else. It’s not…sensible for the public to have this information”

“…Understood” Though Sans didn’t really understand. Gaster moved to say something else but suddenly his phone rang.

“Hello…Yes, hello, my King. Yes…” Gaster turned away with the phone.

_The King is calling again?_ He checked on them frequently, but…

“Understood. I’ll be there momentarily.” Gaster hung up the phone. “I have to go. Watch the lab”

“To meet the King?”

“Yes. Don’t worry about it. Work on transferring all the Subjects to one group cage. I’ll expect it done by the time I get back”  He transported away without another word. Sans repressed a smile and then transported outside of Subject Five’s cell. Subject One looked up when he did. She was still awake, good.

It had been less than a day since he had spoken to her in private, since they came to an…understanding. Her golden eyes were expectant.

“You’ll be together this evening” He promised her. “Give me a few hours, okay?”

_Thank you_ She signed and he watched as she closed her eyes.

“Frisk? Is someone there?” Subject Five stirred beside her, looking up to see him standing there.  “Ah…What the – what do you want?” He was alarmed right away and he jumped up. Sans watched him. He should have been too weak to move too much or too quickly. As Sans looked at him though he realized that both he and Subject Eight were…better off than the others. What was that all about?

He looked at Subject Eight and she was looking at him, her mouth in a stiff line, her golden eyes steady and sure.

“I’m here to take the two of you to get cleaned up” He said simply. He dropped the barrier and Subject Eight took Subject Five’s hand. She followed silently and calmly behind Sans. He took them to the showers first. The showers had stalls so they could go in at the same time. He lingered outside, waiting for them however. He could hear Subject Five trying to talk to Subject Eight from outside in a nervous whisper.

He sighed. Did she trust him or…

Well he supposed it didn’t matter. He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, waiting. He saw her smiling in his head, so bright and cheerful. He could almost hear her laugh again. Funny…after everything, those were the things that changed him.

They both emerged from the shower room, hair still damp, dressed in fresh clothing. They were both wearing light green sleeveless shirts and matching slacks. Both of them were just wearing white socks, no shoes. Sans really thought everyone was owed a good pair of slippers, but Gaster would never hear of it. Subject Eight stopped and Subject Five stopped next to her, adjusting his glasses. He seemed…nervous. Not that Sans blamed him.

He led them away from the showers to a different cell block. There were three of them in the lab, prepared “just in case”. Cell block B had larger cells and he dropped Subjects Eight and Five off in the first cell he came to. They watched him walk away and he could sense that Subject Eight wanted to talk to him, but she obediently was silent. He wondered if she were planning something. He wondered if he was being a fool.

He repeated the process a few more times, going to get subjects, taking them to the shower, healing them a little if needed and then dropping them off in the first cell block. Subject Eight watched him every time, her golden eyes guarded. The cell became what seemed to him crowded. Finally he went to get Subjects One and Three. Three needed a lot of healing as did Subject One. He was wary to heal them too much, as he was afraid of them causing trouble with the group.

Soon enough he was leading them to the group cell. He opened it and shoved them both in. Subject One tensed and he did as well. Their eyes roamed over the group, their red eyes widening. Their hands flexed and he was afraid that they were going to start trouble already. They were _dangerous_.

Suddenly Subject Eight was there, wrapping her arms around Subject One, hugging them close. Subject One tensed and Sans was sure that Subject One was going to kill Eight. Then, surprising him, they relaxed into her embrace. They buried their head in her shoulder and tangled their fingers in her shirt. Sans silently closed the barrier to the cell.

Who the hell was Subject Eight? How could she calm Subject One so easily? There was a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn’t like this whole group cell thing. What was Gaster planning? He had said he also had an idea that would allow them more rest…

Sans didn’t like it…but at this point, what could he do but wait and follow orders?

* * *

 

Two days went by and the standards of the eight humans improved. They were all looking much healthier, though worn. Sans was happy that Gaster seemed to just be letting them be. Other than observing them from the camera room, he let them be.

Strangely though, he was also abscent from the lab quite a bit. He talked of Mettaton’s performance – which Papyrus liked to remind him was tomorrow – and how it was going to bring a crowd close to where the entrance of the lab was hidden. He and Gaster teleported in and out, but there was a hidden way up and down…for emergencies of course. Still, Gaster not being around meant Sans got to spend time with Subject Eight.

He’d remove her, as if he were taking her for an examination or an experiment and then teleport them into the camera room. Sometimes he let her bring Subject One. Subject One was almost…docile in her arms. They would glare at Sans and sign some horrible things at him, but they didn’t attack…they didn’t move from Eight’s side. It was like they knew something and Sans became sure that Subject Eight was planning something. He supposed, despite his infatuation with seeing her smile again, he would have to be careful.

She did smile sometimes when she was with him. Little smiles, nothing like the radiant joy he had seen.  They were enough and  they reminded him how he wished he could take her from this place.

He had just put her and One back again and was getting around to getting the lot of them lunch when he saw Gaster walking down the hall. He raised his hand in greeting, only to drop it when he saw Gaster was not alone. The King…The King was with him. Sans felt he was choking and he hurried out into the hall, nearly falling over himself in his haste.  He peeked out into the hall as he watched the pair walk past.

Gaster paused and caught sight of him. “Oh, Sans, there you are. Come along, we must show the King our Subjects”

“We-we do?” He asked, bewildered. Gaster just motioned for him to follow so he did. He couldn’t make words come out of his mouth. He had so many questions. The King seemed calm, but uncomfortable. Clearly he had no idea what their ‘subjects’ were. Was Gaster really going to show him the humans…?

They came into the cell block and stopped at the cell full of humans. They had just showered the day before and had clean clothes. They were waiting on their lunch, but they looked healthy, clean. Well taken care of. That bastard, he had been planning this for days. Sans felt rage boil in his chest, but he bit down on it. He kept a grip on it, knowing that if he exploded that Subject Eight – or any of the others even – might suffer for it.

“These are the humans that have fallen here in the past few years” Gaster was saying. “Yes, yes, we found them and well I needed some subjects…”

“How long have you had them?” The King was bewildered, though he did not sound angry.

“The youngest of them we’ve had the longest – I’m not sure honestly how long though…” Gaster laughed, as if that was funny. “We’ve almost got enough power to smash the barrier though”

“Yo-you do?” The King sounded shocked now. “And when were you planning on telling me this?” Anger finally found its way into the King’s voice. Disapproval. Sans was happy to hear it but didn’t know what it meant for the innocent in this predicament.

“When we had enough but your wife, her Majesty the Queen, has pushed us to show you our hand early. We both know how the Queen would feel about us keeping humans here…”

“She would not like it. I do not like it either Doctor Gaster”

“It is all for the greater good, your Majesty. We have been doing so much work and it is all thanks to these humans!” Gaster motioned dramatically at them. Sans clenched his teeth. “Of course, you remember what had happened when we were last on the other side of the barrier, do you not, your Majesty?”

Both Sans and King Asgore were silent.

“The humans attacked us – and they will again, I’m sure of it”

“Not all humans can be bad” But the King’s words were weak. He didn’t fully believe them. Sans wondered how old their King was. He knew Boss Monsters were some of the more long-lived of monsters but he didn’t know _how_ long lived they were. “Not all humans attacked us”

“Some were children yes, innocents…But I think we need to send a message. You yourself have argued the point of declaring war on humans when we return to the surface again. Humans need to be taught that we monsters will not be forgotten”

“With what power? Humans are so much stronger than monsters” The King seemed flustered, angry even. His hands were clenched.

“With the power of their souls” He motioned to the caged humans. “After we have enough determination and we shatter the barrier, we take their souls and give one to each of our strongest soldiers – or we let one person absorb all eight of them. Either way, that will be more than enough power to teach humans to mind their place. “

“You’re…suggesting a genocide” The King seemed shocked enough to lack the power to talk above a whisper. He seemed to be trying to form words, but nothing was coming to him.  Sans could barely think. The world seemed to narrow and bend. Gaster was suggesting they slaughter the subjects.

“Not a genocide, but a culling. A way to let the humans know we mean business and do not mean to be slaughtered a second time. This time we intend to stay on the surface and as long as they let us be, we will not unleash our wrath upon them”

“They still have magic users-” The King started

"But not enough of power to lock us away again. We will be victorious in this war. I guarantee it. The key to it being those eight in the cell” King Asgore looked, his eyes haunted. It was clear that he somewhat agreed with Gaster, but he didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to end anyone’s life. He wanted to believe in peace. “They’re not innocent you know – those humans in that cell, they were all thrown down here because they were criminals. They had hurt others, maybe killed them. Their deaths will be a justice for the world”

Sans saw several of the humans bristle. Subject Two began to cry loudly. He saw Subject Eight cover her eyes, tears running down her cheeks. Was that…true about her? Was she some sort of criminal? A sinner?

He couldn’t believe it. None of what Gaster was saying was completely true and he wanted to say as much to the King, but his words died in his throat. He couldn’t make himself speak.

“Is that so…” The King sounded doubtful. “You have given me much to think on, Doctor Gaster. I will…think for a few days and give you my answer”

“Remember, if you do not give me an answer by the time the Queen comes to inspect the lab, we shall loose the subjects…and our chance at freedom.”

The King and Gaster began to walk away, still talking. Gaster did not seem to notice that Sans was not following along. He stood there, staring at the Subjects, at their angry faces, their scared faces, their tear-lined faces…These innocents…these _children_ were going to die for a war they had no part in. Their great-great-great-great grandparents maybe. But not them. They had nothing to do with this war, nothing to do with the monsters’ pain and yet…

  _I_ _’m going to die, aren’t I?_

He looked at Subject Eight. Still silent, even with this new trauma inflicted upon her.

“No” He whispered, his voice hoarse. “None of you are going to die.”

_The child, the child…please, please, save the child._

He met the red eyes of the demonic child, their face the only that showed nothing in that cell. They seemed…indifferent. It was like they had not heard two men casually discussing their death. They looked at Subject Eight and they frowned. They met Sans’ eyes.

_So trashbag, what are you going to do?_

What was he going to do? His mind was blank and panic set itself in his heart and he had no ideas at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So instead of working on We Are Home, I worked on this fic. I couldn't help it! It's getting interesting - to me. I now have limited internet access by the way. I won't be able to publish alot - but I will once again be able to publish. Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! :)


	6. Change

The streets were crowed and loud. People, probably almost everyone in the Underground was going to Mettaton’s concert in Waterfall. Sans could hear the sound of music from his home. The pulsing beat seemed to flow through the ground. Apparently, Mettaton wanted to create a ‘club-like stage performance’. Clubs, he supposed, like the humans had. There would be lights and the whole thing would be taped and played tomorrow night. People might get to see themselves on TV and everyone was into it. Papyrus had been so excited to go, but Sans had said he’d meet him there. He had something to take care of first.

It was a quick operation. Disable the cameras in the solitary confinement wing of the lab and then go and get her. Her and the child, of course. She wouldn’t leave without the child. He made promises to the others to come back for them when he could – if he could. There were few places he could hide humans in the Underground after all. Gaster was…away. He and the King were plotting and Sans knew he had at least until tomorrow before Gaster returned to the lab and saw what he had done. Gaster would know…so Sans had to figure out a place to hide himself as well.

He didn’t have any place to bring them yet, but he wanted them out. If he could save anyone – it was Subject Eight and One. They had names but there would be time to learn those later. Right now, get them some place safe…for now. It wouldn’t be safe for long, but he was short on time. He had to get back to his brother before Papyrus got mad.

“Just stay here. I mean…you can go downstairs if you’re hungry or thirsty, but try not to okay? I don’t…I don’t know when I’ll be home but it’ll probably be late. Just stay here, don’t make too much noise and you should be fine. Okay? Okay.” The two had just stared at him in their dirty clothes as he spoke to them. Neither said nor signed anything.

“You’ll stay here?”

Eight nodded. He turned to walk out of his room, hesitating at the door. He looked back at them. He wanted to ask her name – just so he could stop calling her Subject Eight. He stood there a moment looking at her. She put her arms more tightly around Subject One, holding them close to her. He slowly turned away, shutting the door behind him. He sighed, looking at the familiar hallway. Might be the last time in a while he saw it. There were only so many places in the Underground to go though. Only so many places he could hide.

Only so many places he could keep them safe.

He teleported to Waterfall, looking for his brother. It was very crowded, with people pushing and shoving, the music getting louder the closer her got. He kept his eyes out for the taller skeleton brother. As he got closer, the music became so loud it seemed to be playing from inside him – the pulse like a heartbeat, shaking him to his core. He put his hands into the pockets of his pull-over hoodie, scanning the area for his brother.

And there he was, dressed in all red, white and orange up near where the stage was set up. He made his way over and bumped his elbow against Papyrus’ hip.

“Brother! You have finally arrived! It’s about to start! I didn’t want you to miss it!” He seemed so happy. Sans smiled brightly, happy to brighten his brother’s day even just a little bit. He could almost forget about what he had done to ruin everyone’s chances at escaping the Underground.

* * *

 

He had left the lights in the room on at least…and it was clean. It looked unused really. Frisk had already paced the room a couple times. The child sat on the bed, watching her pace with abhorrent red eyes. They were still dressed in the clothes they had changed into after their shower a couple days ago. They were dirty now. As soon as the…King had left, they had been dragged out of the large cell and placed into small, cramped cells in a dusty, hidden part of the lab. The shower, the large cell, it had all been a mummer’s farce, a trick, to show the King that they were treated well.

None of them had found the voice to tell the man otherwise and Frisk wished with all her heart that they had. They had all been scared. She thought of the others…how scared they must be. Poor Az with his glasses that hardly fit his face…The young girl who cried a lot. The boy with his brave face, but the fear so clear in his eyes and the girl who had a steady gaze, but hands shaking with fear.  She wished they could have come, but the skeleton had said  that he couldn’t teleport them all together. He wasn’t strong enough. Somehow that seemed a lie, but she had not argued with him.

At least he had let her bring the child. That was a kindness.

She came to the bed again and curled up next to the child, wrapping her arms around them. She felt them tense ever so slightly in her arms. She knew they had been through hell and sometimes they lashed out because of that. They had hardly known a tender touch. Her touch was not unwelcome though and she felt as if she had known this child her whole life. Like they were her younger sibling or perhaps her own child…She knew neither of these things could be true however.

The child slowly laid down, curling their body against her own. She thought they found some comfort in the closeness. Their breathing slowed and eventually they fell asleep. She stayed awake though. She was listening to the music she could hear that didn’t seem so far off, the chatter of distant voices, the soft and steady breaths of the child. She heard them all and in a way they were strangely comforting. This was what life was supposed to sound like. Not distant sobbing and the constant cloak of fear that hung over them.

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she heard a door open and shut. She opened her eyes slightly and felt the child begining to rouse from their own slumber. She sat up slowly, her hair falling around her face. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and motioned the child to stay in the bed and she got up. She walked slowly to the door and opened it, but didn’t see anyone or anything. The hallway was bright, the light was on.

She wandered to the stairs and froze.

The person – skeleton – at the bottom of the stairs froze as well, catching sight of her as she caught sight of them.

“Who – who are you?” They asked.

She felt fear rear its ugly head and she turned, dashing for the bedroom. She had to get the child and-

She could hear them running up the stairs, oh hell they were fast. The bedroom they were in locked right? She could at least figure a way out then. There were windows and she could take the child out one of those. But where would they go after? And it looked as if there was snow outside…it would be cold more than likely. She supposed she would figure it out when she got there.

“W-wait! Stop!” the skeleton cried out and just as she grabbed the door, their hand grabbed onto her other arm. “Ah-ha! No use running from the great Papyrus!” She looked at him and tugged, trying to get her arm free. “Huh? Are you…crying? Why are you crying? Are you…” She looked at him and saw the confusion on his face. No maliciousness, not cruelty, just confusion.

Her hand slipped off the knob of the door and she palmed some of her tears away. Did this skeleton really mean her no harm?

“Are you a friend of my small brother? Just like him to not tell me we would have guests! I would have prepared extra spaghetti for you! I’m sure there are some leftovers, are you hungry?” His brother? Did he mean the small skeleton? He must, she figured. She couldn't ask, so she had to pretend as if she knew who he was talking about. She just hoped she wasn't making a mistake.

_Where is your brother?_ She signed at him and then she realized he might not be able to read the words on her fingers.

“You speak in the language of hands? Wowie!” He had let go of her arm and she took a step back, though he didn’t seem to mind. “Oh… my brother. He’s probably still at the concert- OH NO!” His outcry startled her and she tensed. “I’m probably missing the next part of the show but we have guests who needs need tending to! I must be a good host, but I want to meet Mettaton!”

_I will be fine. Go and enjoy your show._

“But…I cannot leave you here by yourself…” He seemed so torn.

_Do not worry about me._ The door to his brother’s room opened a crack and he saw the child’s eyes peeking out.

“Another guest?! I certainly cannot leave now!” The child stepped into the hall, grabbing onto Frisk’s hand. They looked at the skeleton warily, but didn’t seem frightened. “…I suppose I will meet Mettaton another day. Tell me, guests, what do you need?”

_For you to be quiet so I can go back to sleep_ the child signed, looking irritable now.

“I have a better idea! Follow me!” And he turned away. Frisk glanced at the child, a smile playing on the corner of her mouth. The child’s red eyes were annoyed but they followed after the skeleton, dragging her by her hand. Irritable they may be, but they were curious all the same.

* * *

 Sans looked through the crowd but did not see his brother. Papyrus said he had to go get something…or something like that. It was so loud here, Sans had trouble hearing himself think let alone what Papyrus had shouted to him. Something about…he couldn’t hear him even though they had been standing three feet from each other. The small skeleton shoved his way through the crowd, trying to catch sight of his brother… but only saw others. He saw Undyne and her guard patrolling the gathering, making sure no trouble was caused and he saw Alphys watching her creation from the side of the stage. Mettaton was doing his…thing, whatever it was. Sans wasn’t sure. It seemed to involve alot of inappropriate gyrating and lots of flashing lights.

He even saw the Royal family in attendance. Asriel was wearing shirt with Mettaton’s face on the front and was sitting on his father’s shoulders. Asgore was looking content, though Toriel was watching the show, she seemed to be glancing around. He even spied Gaster in the crowd and that was just as well. He was probably waiting to talk to the King again. As long as he wasn’t down in the lab, everything would be alright.

Sans couldn’t seem to find his brother anywhere however and  that was making him nervous. Where was Papyrus? He couldn’t have gone home could he? He didn’t have a reason to….Did he?

He knew he was probably being silly, but he had to check on the humans anyway. He teleported out of the crowd and into his bedroom – to find it empty. Panic jumped into his throat and he hurried down stairs where the humans were not.

“He-hey! Are you guys here?” He shouted. If they were wandering in the Underground they’d surely be caught sooner rather than later and he couldn’t…He didn’t want to think about what would happen to them if they were caught. Those golden eyes…He didn’t want to see them lifeless. He couldn’t.

“Sans?” A voice called to him. He glanced up and saw Papyrus was sticking his head out of his room, gazing down at Sans. “Is everything alright?”

“Uh…” How did he explain this to his brother?”

“Are you looking for our guests?”

“G-guests?”

“Yes, the guests you left here to fend for themselves!” Papyrus seemed cross. “Never fear! The Great Papyrus has been busy entertaining them!”

“Entertaining them? How?” He hurried up the stairs, feeling slightly ill. Were they okay? He doubted his brother would hurt them but…

He entered the room to see the two Subjects sitting on the floor, some of Papyrus’ action figures in their hands. The child looked…just that. Like a regular child. The older one, Subject Eight was watching Subject One though, looking tranquil. She looked up at him as he entered the room and her smile faded for a moment, only to return a moment later, brighter than before.

“They were helping me make battle plans! They are both very smart despite both being very quiet.”

“Yeah…” He gave a nervous laugh. Subject Eight…No. He couldn’t call her that anymore. She had a name. “Hey, I need to talk to her for a moment. Will you be okay with the kid?”

“Most defiantly!” Papyrus assured them and he sat on the floor with the child and picked up another action figure. He seemed happy. He motioned the young woman out the door and into the hallway. She followed without question.

“Okay listen, we need to work on getting you two some place safer…Here is good for the night but tomorrow Gaster is going to know you’re missing and he’ll look here first.”

_Where do you suggest?_  She asked

“I’m thinking the Ruins”

_The Ruins?_

“Where I found you.”

  _T_ _he bed of golden flowers is the Ruins?_

“No…well, they’re the entry of it. But there are a couple well…ruins in the Ruins. A couple houses, empty ones. Most monsters don’t live in the Ruins but apparently that was where we once lived, long, long ago. We can move you between houses. I’ll make sure you get food and stuff and I hope I’ll be able to bring the others to you there”

_I will take good care of them. But we must speak of us leaving this place for good. That other skeleton will never let us be, will he?_

“That’s the thing…there is no way out of here. You’re stuck down here. Eventually he’ll have to give up though. He can’t search for you forever”

_And what will you do? He will know it is you doing this, surely._

“Well…It doesn’t matter what happens to me. I’ll be okay” He couldn’t look at her. He had no doubt that Gaster would eventually kill him or have him killed for what he was doing. Gaster was not the forgiving sort and Sans was ruining their chance of escape. He didn’t regret it though.

Her hand touched his shoulder, a gentle, compassionate touch. He met her eyes. Her face was close to his and he didn’t know how to react. He could only stare. Her eyes were worried and grim. She opened her mouth, as if she were going to speak but leaned back, pursing her lips instead. She frowned and her face flushed. Her hand dropped from her shoulder, folding her hands together in front of her.

_Are you going to be okay?_

“Yeah, of course” He lied.

_And your brother?_

“He has friends who won’t let anything happen to him” He assured her. He thought of Undyne when he said that. She was Papyrus’ best friend and he knew she would watch out for him…though that reminded Sans that he should give her a bit of a warning beforehand. Nothing too literal but perhaps just a reminder to watch out for Papyrus…and to keep an eye on Gaster as well.

_That’s good. He’s very kind. He lent us clothes_.

Then Sans noticed that she wasn’t wearing her experiment rags. Instead she was dressed in some shorts and a white t-shirt.

“Hey…” His brow furrowed. “Those are mine”

She giggled, a bright sound. _He said you wouldn’t mind._

“Yeah…I guess I don’t.” He smiled and rubbed the back of his head. He wanted to say more but the door to the bedroom opened. Both the child and Papyrus peeked their heads out.

“Large one! Your small one says they are tired and wish to go to bed!” Papyrus announced.

“Yeah, they can sleep in my bed Papyrus” Sans informed his brother.

“Excellent! Come along, small one!” Papyrus marched out of his room, a book under his arm. The child went to the woman’s side and took her hand. She used her free hand to smooth down some of their dark locks. Her smile was peaceful again. The child’s face, however, was very blank. The two of them walked down the hall to Sans’ room.

He followed, peeking in. The two of them got settled on his bed and Papyrus sat on the edge, reading them a bedtime story. He let out a gentle chuckle, feeling at peace for the first time in a long time. Tomorrow was going to be a challenge and every day after would be worse. He walked down stairs, crossing his arms. He had promised to go back for the others…but after tonight there would be no going back.

He closed his eyes. He was too naïve, Gaster was right about that. He was too kind, too caring. He knew if he didn’t do this, she might not forgive him, she might never smile again and he did not want to see her cry. He supposed he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight, but who really needed sleep?

* * *

 

Sans woke the young woman and the child early in the morning and made them get around. He gave them some food and other supplies they would need and then he then teleported them to the Ruins. The woman tried to comment on how tired he looked up he wouldn’t let her. She seemed annoyed by that. Sans thought it was nice that she could care about someone like him.  He led them through the Ruins, by passing the traps and resetting some of them. It wouldn’t stop Gaster if he decided to search the Ruins, but it would discourage any other monster from exploring too deeply into them.

They eventually found the ruined house he had picked. It looked like it had caught fire. The stones were blackened and burned. He walked into the open doorway, the former Subjects following him. Hidden in the house was a set of steps that went down to an extensive cellar. It had taken him a while to find such a house. He took them downstairs where it was dusty and a little dirty, but stable and livable.

“Frisk! You’re alright!” The young man formally known as Subject Five ran up to her as she finished her decent and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and he saw tears in her eyes, but the smile on her face let him know those tears were not of fear or grief.

“Here” Sans handed her a small pocket sized notebook and a pen. “So you can talk to everyone.”

She took them from him and tears fell from her eyes again. Her fingers stumbled as she tried to thank him. She palmed the tears from her eyes and tried again, but couldn’t seem to get it right. Finally she opened her new notebook and wrote _You have no idea what this means to me. Thank you thank you thank you_

She smiled and it was worth it.

She turned back to the other former Subjects, writing in her notebook, checking on each of them. Some told her their names, others hugged her and told her how nice it was to have her here too. The child wandered to his side, their arms crossed over their chest. There were wearing some clothes of Papyrus’ from when he was a child. A green, striped shirt and brown shorts with high socks and sneakers. Strange that they were the same size.

“This doesn’t fix everything, trashbag” They whispered, their voice hoarse.

“I know. But it’s a start.”

“He will come for us.”

“He’ll never hurt you again”

“Is that what you think?” And the child grinned.  “You are naïve.”

“What would you know about that? You’re just a kid.”

“I know a lot more than you think.” They were silent for a moment. “I know humans are mostly awful. I know that these people probably _did_ deserve to die. I know that your precious friend tried to kill herself”

“How do you know that?” He lowered his voice. Her scars…he had suspected as much, but had never confirmed it with her. She had alot of scars on her arms though, razor straight and deep from the look of them. She had a few on her legs as well...and he couldn't imagine where else she had scars hidden away.

“She talks in her sleep. Cries. Wishes she was dead sometimes yet even. Or she did…I wonder how she feels now?” Their grin was malicious. “She wants to hurt herself too I’m sure.”

“Shut up” He knew his eye was glowing. “You don’t know her”

“And _you_ do? Tell me, what do you think she thinks of you? Her torturer? Do you think she trusts you? Shes only using you right now. But she even knows that he’ll come for us eventually. She knows this is only temporary. We all do.”

“I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” And the child had him and they knew it. Sans fell silent and the child looked towards the young woman and the others, their smile fading ever so slightly. “I don’t want it to be true. But that’s how this world works. I know we’re all going to die.”

“That’s not true” Sans clenched his teeth. “I’m not going to let him hurt you anymore”

The child fell silent but Sans could see tears in their eyes.  The young woman was suddenly back and she wrapped her arms around the child, comforting them the best she could without speaking. She looked to Sans, clearly questioning what was said but he just gave her a grim smile. Let the child tell her. He didn't have anymore words to spare.

* * *

Frisk wasn’t sure how much time passed after. She just knew that things weren’t as bad. The skeleton had rescued the rest of the children. Children was a bad term for them though, almost all of them teenagers or quiet nearly there. Some had come very young, some had come old enough to remember the lives they left behind.

Marie was the second youngest, at only eleven. Since Sans had gotten them washed up and in regular clothes before bringing them here, she could see that Marie was a petite little girl with blonde hair in lovely ringlets and large blue eyes. She cried the first time they laid down for bed until, Az laid down with her. She had regular nightmares too and often needed to lay near someone else to sleep soundly. Apparently she had been down here a long time. 

Troy was the brave one who had to be stuck in the cell with the child before. His hair had grown out in captivity, but he had already cut it short once more somehow. His steely grey eyes were unflinching, despite him only being fourteen years old. He liked to patrol around the rooms and had taken to making sure Marie was comfortable most of the time. She clung to him often, like he was a big brother.

Eleanor or Ellie as she liked to be called, was young but graceful looking with bright red hair and hazel eyes. Freckles covered her face, arms, and shoulders and she liked to talk about ballet, which she had done before she had come to this place. She was kind, and always had a soft smile on her face. She was fourteen as well, but she was determined to not let the harshness she had already encountered pull her down.

Az, of course, was the youth she had been caged with. His hair was spikey all the time it seemed. Now far from the cell, he smiled much more. She was finally able to find out he was fifteen, or somewhere close to it. Apparently, he had kept track of the days somehow and that was how everyone seemed to know their ages.  He was smart, that much was clear.

Kent was a quiet, but kind young man. He was the third youngest at only twelve years old. He had dark eyes and darker hair. He didn’t talk much, but he did talk about cooking for his family before had come here. He smiled the most when he talked about cooking. It seemed it was his favorite thing to do. He helped Frisk manage their food supply and was disappointed he couldn't make food out of their slim rations. He also had a knack for finding things they needed in the ruins of the basement. 

The last of them was Nina, a dark eye girl with long hair. She often had her lips pressed together and seemed harsh. She was very kindhearted, as Frisk quickly found out. She had a bad family situation before coming here and she believed justice would come for those who had forced her to come here, as well as what the tall skeleton had done to them. Frisk thought it was a little odd for a fourteen year old to be thinking so heavily about justice, but she never bothered to correct the girl.

The child had also guessed their own age at nine or ten. They never spoke of the world above and Frisk wondered if they had spent their whole life in this nightmare. She never asked however, because truthfully, Frisk did not want to know.

Life sorted itself out though. They stayed in the basement and the skeleton promised to return soon enough…only he didn’t. What seemed to be days passed. They slept, they ate some of the food he had given them, they cleaned up the basement and they slept again. The basement was quite massive, having several rooms, though they only used three or four of them. The others spent time exploring, Frisk spent time fixing up what they had already claimed.

And waiting. Always waiting for the skeleton to come back. But he didn’t.

She worried. He had saved them and what if the other one had…had harmed him? Or his kindhearted brother? She spent almost as much time worrying as anything else. The child seemed to realize this the most and sometimes would tell her that he was simply trying to keep the bad one off their trail. She believed it or at least she wanted to. That was something he would do right? To protect them…

She still worried though.

The one day they heard someone walking around upstairs. They all froze. Marie’s eyes got wide as dishes. She trembled. Kent wrapped his arms around her before she could begin to sob.

_Go!_ Motioned Frisk.

The children hurried, quietly as they could, into the other rooms. They would scatter and hide. The child remained with Frisk. She tried to shoo them too, but they only grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the stairs. She thought they wanted to go upstairs to check what the noise was, but instead they crawled underneath the stairs. From outside you couldn’t see them so Frisk followed. She had to crawl but soon found herself in a cramped, dark, dusty corner. The child crawled into her arms and they squished against the wall. They had a small peek hole where they could see what was going on in the room…but unless the guest walked right by, there would be no telling who they were or what they wanted.

She thoughts went to the skeleton who had helped them. Wouldn’t he just teleport in? And whoever was upstairs seemed to be…searching.

_Its him_ She thought and she could feel her heart hammering. The child squirmed in her arms. _It has to be._

There was no telling if he would find the stairs or not, if he would find his way down. She was happy she sent the children to hide. She tried to control her breathing, as if he could hear it through the floor.

“Nothing appears to be here, sir” A voice upstairs squeaked.

No one replied. There was still some scuffling upstairs. They were still searching. The child squirmed some more but she held them tighter.

The footsteps paced across the floor. They stopped what sounded like right above them.

The sound of a foot tapping against the floor.

Someone else followed the first person, walking next to them. Another followed.

Three? Frisk felt her breath catch in her throat.

There was a shuffling. “A hidden staircase” The voice squeaked. Footsteps began to descend.

Hesitantly…and then a little quicker.

Another set followed.

And another.

The child squirmed.

Frisk felt her heart in her throat. She closed her eyes.

They were going to be found.

* * *

 

The cell was cold.

And it was lonely.

At least he was alive though. That was honestly more than he had expected. It would usually be easy to get out of this place…but Gaster had enlisted the use of an old project of his and well, Sans found himself quite trapped.

He tugged at the collar around his neck, feeling it burn slightly again. It was a simple thing and if he could look at it properly, he could disarm it probably. It was around his neck and the only way he could get it off was to break a couple of his ribs. While he wanted to escape, he wasn’t going to resort to such desperate measures just yet. The contraption around his neck simply absorbed his magical energy. It kept him from teleporting or otherwise using his magic outside his body. He was powerless.

And yet he was alive.

That was shocking. He was sure that Gaster would kill him and yet here he was. A little battered but alive, sitting on a cot that used to belong to Subject One and Eight.That was probably some sort of irony. Actually it was almost funny in a sick sort of way. He leaned back against the wall with a sigh. Gaster had thrown him down here, left and never returned. It had been a while he knew, a couple days at least. He wondered how the humans were doing. What would Gaster do to them when he found them?

No, he didn’t need to wonder. He already knew the answer; Gaster would kill them. He would kill them to protect himself and his precious research. Then he would come back and kill Sans. Sans wasn’t dumb, he knew what was happening. It was a downwards cycle that began the day they found Subject One in that bed of grass.

Before the golden flowers, there had been a thick bed of grass underneath the opening in the mountain. Sans had used the Ruins as a place of solitude in those days. He had walked the Ruins to calm himself, to think. He had only been an apprentice to Gaster in those days. Things had been so innocent.

Then he had heard a _thump_ and the crying of a child. Curious he had followed the sound and found a baby – _a baby_ – laying in the bed of grass, wrapped in a sparse, thin blanket, covered in bruises with a strange marking drawn on their forehead in what looked to be charcoal. The blanket had strange, sticky seeds all over it and he had abandoned it in the grass and wrapped the baby in his coat.

He knew by looking at them that they were human.

He had thoughtlessly brought the baby back to Gaster and then everything had started. In the end he had no one to blame but himself. One by one, they had fallen down and one by one, he and Gaster found them. One by one, they collected their Subjects and began their study on Human’s Souls. One by one, Sans destroyed their lives and any hope they had for their future.

They were children and yet…

He banged his head back against the wall, making it hurt. It helped him think more clearly a moment. He had done horrible things, he had burdened himself with an unforgivable sin. He did not deserve forgiveness, but he was trying to bargain for it anyway. He had helped them all escape and he would have kept helping them if Gaster had not caught him. He would have given almost anything to see them to safety…

He wondered how they were doing now. Gaster must not have found them if he had not returned yet. Perhaps they kept to the original plan and kept on the move. That was smart. He doubted the young woman would let anything happen to her young charges. She would protect them no matter what…and yet who would protect her?

Sans heard movement, a noise. It wasn’t the sound of someone teleporting, no. It was the sound of footsteps. Many of them, storming through the hallway. He rose from the cot and walked to the edge of the cell, staring out of the barrier. The footsteps came close and then went another way. He waited. Somehow he knew they would be back.

A few minutes later they came back. The door opened and he knew they had found his hall. He smiled, just slightly. The footsteps came closer and stopped outside his cell.

“Hey, I thought you’d never come” That smile never faded, though he knew from here on out, things would never be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFF HANGERS ALL AROUND!


	7. To Live

From one cage, right into another…still collared like an animal. Sans was beginning to really understand how the humans had felt in the darkness of their cells now. It had been three more days – if what his guards said was anything to go by. He knew them – 01 and 02. Never at the same time, but one guarded his cell day and night. They seemed grumpy, maybe because they couldn’t be with each other. He never saw Undyne after she had busted the barrier to his cell. She hadn’t said much to him, only that he was in ‘a lot of trouble’. He hadn’t made a joke, though he had been _dyning_ to. He smiled a little on his cot. He still had it…even when things around him were grim as all hell.

And they were quite grim. Three days and not a single person would hardly talk to him. At least he had food now though…and information on what was going on.

Apparently, Alphys had ratted out the location of Gaster’s secret lab entrance to the Queen. The Queen sent Undyne to stake it out, watch who came and went. Of course, Sans and Gaster transported themselves back forth so they never came nor went. Eventually, Undyne got tired of waiting, gathered some of her guard and stormed the place, finding it completely empty…except him. Gaster hadn’t been sighted for days and even the King could not get ahold of him. The entire Underground was being scoured after what the guard found in the lab.

Experiments, notes on the human soul and detailed charts about all eight subjects, plus the various monster souls that Sans and Gaster tried to create. The Queen was not pleased and apparently, he would be tried for…something. He wasn’t sure yet and he wasn’t sure even the Queen and King were sure.

One thing was for sure, he was sure this was the first time they had to use the royal dungeons for anything.

So he sat, he ate when they brought him food and he listened. Three days crawled by. He hardly slept. When he wasn’t preoccupied, his mind went to the humans. Apparently, no one knew of them yet or if they did, they weren’t saying anything. He wasn’t going to say a thing about them, that was for sure. Not yet, not until he was sure they wouldn’t be harmed. He had to protect them. He owed her that much at least.

Then on the morning of the fourth day, instead of breakfast, came Undyne. She banged on the bars of the cell, as if he might be asleep. He gave her a simmering look but walked over and was silent as she put chains on his arms, as if he could fight with the collar on. He knew it was more for show than anything else. They walked down the hall and up the stairs. He was brought to the flower-filled throne room. The yellow flowers were bright and cheery in contrast to the bitter and dark mood in the room. Undyne stood next to him as he stood before the thrones where both the King and Queen were seated.

The Queen in particular looked angry. The King was…blank. He knew about the humans before though so this was no surprise to him. He just had to put on a farce for his wife so that she didn’t know he knew. Sans figured he’d toss the man a bone and play dumb to that as well. No need for everyone to get in trouble. Sans was sure he was in enough of it as is.

“Sans” The Queen spoke, her voice controlled. “We have had you brought here today to give you a chance to tell us everything in your own words rather than waiting for us to _find_ it and accuse you of crimes you may or may not have committed.”

He was silent, unsure if he was to speak yet or not.

“As Doctor Gaster is still missing, we will only have your account to go by. If you know where Doctor Gaster is…” Asgore started.

“What my husband is saying, is if you know where Gaster is, tell us now” The Queen’s voice was frustrated now, short, clipped.

He truthfully had no idea where Gaster was. Gaster could be anywhere in the Underground, in places only he would know. Who knew if Gaster didn’t have a safe house somewhere. More than likely though, he was looking for the humans, to tie up the “loose ends”. He hoped she was okay, where ever she was.

“Nope.” Sans said simply.

“Well, then” The Queen straightened her back and folded her hands together in her lap. “What were you doing in that lab?”

“What we were told to”

“No one _told you_ to experiment on _living_ subjects.” The Queen snapped. “By some of your notes, the ones you _tortured_ were just **_children_** ” Anger was rising in her voice. Her face was flushed with it, her eyes narrowed. The King touched her hand and she swatted his hand away. “So I ask you again, Sans, what were you **doing** in that lab?”

“Probably exactly what you think we were” He shrugged. “We were trying to find a way out, like we were supposed to be doing. We had human test subjects so we could study their souls. We had one from the time they were an infant and they only knew pain. **_Is that what you want to hear, Toriel?_** ” Sans snarled at last. “Or would you rather know about the others we took? The little girl that cried? The boy with the brave face? The small boy with kind face? Or the stern girl who always judged the sins on our shoulders? Maybe you want to hear about the woman with golden eyes who…who…came to us, covered in scars, begging for death and I…I gave her a fate worse than that. I found her and I…” His anger dried up just like that.

He closed his eyes, just for a second, just to regain his composer. When he opened them, the Queens face had become a blank mask. He could see the anger in her eyes, in how she held her hands. She swallowed hard. She was clearly trying to control her rage. He was trying to control the sudden tears that wanted to spill over his cheekbones.

“Just take me back to my cell” He said in a harsh whisper at last. “I have nothing more to say.”

So Undyne took him back to his cell, removed the chains and let him sit there for another two days. He worried now, constantly over the woman and the children. How were they? They must have been running low on food. If he told the Queen where they were hiding, they might be able to find them, but would the humans come to the monsters? Would they know that the monsters meant them no harm…

No, he felt that they would hide and avoid them for as long as possible.

So on the eve for the sixth day, he requested another audience with the King and Queen. To his surprise, they came to him this time. The Queen looked just as stern and angry. Undyne reeked of annoyance under her heavy mask. They stood outside his cell, waiting for what he had to say. The Queen clearly thought it was going to be a waste of time, Undyne did too. Sans supposed the King was just hoping that Sans wasn’t going to rat him out.

“I know where the humans are” The Queen narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. “I helped them escape and I hid them away. If you want to find them, bring me with you, it’s the only way they’ll trust you enough to come to you”

“You’re saying this to get out.” The Queen began to turn away. She was still angry with him, that much was clear. He didn't blame her. He had lost his temper the other day but the children...

“Please!” Sans slammed himself against the bars and she stopped. He reached out towards her and Undyne swatted his hand away. He pulled it back in between the bars, but he would not allow anyone to walk away until they heard him out, until they listened to him. “Please…we have to go them. If we don’t…Gaster may find them first and he’ll kill them. He’ll _kill_ them.” The Queen turned towards him, a worried look in his eyes. “I don’t care about getting out. I _deserve_ this, you think I don’t know I deserve this? Please…I don’t want her….” He pressed his head against the bars. Those golden eyes, so kind and full of life, so full of hope.

“You’ll take us to them?” The Queen asked.

“I can’t take you right to them, but I can take you to where I first let them hide. I’m sure they’ve moved by now…but if I come back I know at least one will come out and once we reassure her that its safe I’m sure the others will follow soon after”

“Take him out and take the collar off him”

“But, your Majesty-”

“Do it” The Queen snapped. “Honey, you stay here for now. Undyne and I will go with Sans to find the humans. We shall return shortly.” He was taken out of the cage, his collar taken off. He could tell Undyne didn’t like it. He just wanted to get to the Ruins. He grabbed onto the Queen and Undyne and teleported them to the Ruins. They took more energy to transport and when they got there, Sans felt it. He was weak from his captivity. He staggered, but hurried forward. What house was it? The Queen and Undyne were hurrying after him.

What house? This one? No, no, no, it was this one. It felt like forever since he had been in its blackened husk. The moment he stepped inside, he could tell another person had been in there. He walked slowly, the floorboards creaking underneath him. Undyne and Toriel entered the house after him. He walked quicker to the hidden stairs. They had been covered with some large boxes, not visible unless you moved them.

All the boxes were smashed. He jumped down the steps, using his magic to catch himself at the landing. He ran into the main room. There were signs of a struggle and as he looked, there was what looked to be blood on the dusty floor.

“No no no no no” He whispered to himself, falling to his knees. “Oh please, oh please, oh no, please, please”

Suddenly something rushed him from the side. He hit the ground hard and rolled, throwing whatever was attacking him off. He rolled to his feet, his magic encasing the soul only to see-

“Unhand the child!” Toriel was yelling. Sans looked at the child, with wide eyes. “Sans, do you hear me?”

Their red eyes bored into him, filled with anger and hurt but the child themselves was unharmed. He lowered them slowly to the ground and they clenched their fist. He held them in place with their soul though. He knew that look.

“You didn’t come back” They hissed. “You didn’t come back and _they took **her**_ ”

He didn’t need to ask to know who the child was talking about. It was like a direct hit on his soul. He let go of the child and they walked over to him. Toriel walked forward, but Undyne stopped her. The child knelt by Sans. They didn’t say anything, but Sans met their eyes and there was fear there. Anger. Grief.

He had to pull himself together, get the others to safety and then…oh then he was going to go and he was going to save her, no matter what the cost. He had to. He had made a promise and he was going to keep it if it killed him.

“Get the others. Are they still here?” The child nodded slowly. “Go get them. Go.” Surprisingly the child scampered off and after a few minutes they all came back, all the young children. Toriel looked at them all, her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes. They were all rough around the edges, the little girl started to cry and an older boy stopped to comfort her. Sans explained to them that Toriel was a Queen and that she would protect them now. They gathered around her, amazing, relieved – their nightmare was over. There was hope for their futures once again.

Toriel was busy with the children. She had one in each arm. Undyne was holding a third, looking slightly uncomfortable at that. They were paying no mind to him. He turned away. He knew where he had to be keeping her. The child grabbed the sleeve of his labcoat. He looked at them, surprise in his eyes.

“I have to come” They said simply and he didn’t argue. He picked the child up, glanced one last time at Undyne and Toriel. Undyne looked up and reached her arm out, ready to stop him but she was too slow. With a flash of blue light, Sans was gone and the child with him.

* * *

 

Frisk lay on the ground. There was red leaking from her…her blood. She felt dizzy and unsure. Was she really laying on the ground? Or a table? She couldn’t remember. How long had she been here? The time had all blurred together into a clump of pain and fear. She knew she was back in the lab, but not in any part she had ever been in before. Hidden away, deep down in the dark.

He was going to kill her. He was taking bits of her Soul and not being gentle. When she screamed, he hurt her. She was pretty sure her one arm was broken. She could barely feel her fingers. Her head hurt, her body hurt, her Soul hurt. This was the end game and he was determined to win.

She was simply determined to survive.

She had only ended up this way to save the child. She had tried to distract them but…whatever goons he had with him had tackled her the moment she had begun to run. She had fought and they had hurt her. There had been blood and she blacked out from the sudden, seizing pain.

Then she was here and he had a knife and it hurt how it hurt please make it stop. She could still feel the burn of the knife as it sliced through her flesh, she could still feel how her Soul began to crack as he took parts from it.

It was completely unnecessary that he physically hurt her as well but she knew he was sending a message: how dare you run. How dare you leave. And another message that was stronger: he’s going to find you dead.  
  
He had told her that one, that the other skeleton’s _fucking infatuation_ with her was the reason all of this had gone to hell. If he had kept distant, if he had done as he was told, none of this would have happened. They’d be free. They’d be okay. Not the humans of course, they’d be dead.

As Frisk looked at it, she was sure that she would have died no matter what.

What was she talking about? She came down here _to_ die. She remembered that day perfectly. It had been sunny and clear. The walk up the mountain had been tough, but she had managed it. Several of the fresh cuts had broken open, scraped on trees or when she occasionally fell down during the climb. She brushed them off and let them bleed. It wouldn’t matter anymore soon was what she had thought. She walked up the mountain, determined…to end her life.

It was a cursed place, that was what people had always called it. People had “disappeared” up there before. There were rumors of a child be sacrificed on the mountain as well. She didn’t doubt it. The people in her hometown were superstitious and some of them were cruel. She walked up the mountain, knowing they would wonder what had become of her but knowing that wherever she went, it had to be better than here.

The sun was bright in the sky as she stood at the edge of the hole on the mountain. She looked down and noted how deep and dark it was. She said a prayer, asking it not to hurt too much or for her to suffer any longer than she had to. She just wanted to die, to disappear, to be erased.

Then she had let herself fall.

And woken up to see her angel of death standing over her in his white lab coat and black slacks, ready to take her miserable life away. Yet here she was…still suffering. Was this her punishment for trying to end her existence early? Was this a way of the world getting back at her? Punishments for all the scars she inflicted upon herself?

Yes she had wanted to die! But now she wanted to live, more than anything in the world, Frisk wanted to live!

She pushed her good arm against the ground – yes she was laying on the ground! – and tried to get up. Her body screaming agony, she cried out in pain, but she sat up. Breathing hard, exhausted from that one minor task, she took a break. She put her hand on the table she must have rolled off of and pushed, pushing herself up. Her legs were weak, she was dizzy, there was a puddle of blood where she had been laying.

No looking back. Get to the door, find a way out, she had to keep moving. She couldn’t stop, not for anything. She limped, holding onto her bad arm. She heard  the _drip drip drip_ of her blood, creating a trail. She didn’t think about it. She just thought about getting out. She didn’t think about how numb her fingers were, how she felt like throwing up, how the world didn’t seem to focus quite right.

She just thought of the child’s face, of Maria’s smile, of Az’s laughter, of Nina’s helpfulness. She thought of the skeleton who had saved her. She had to live! They were all counting on her! They were all waiting for her!

She reached the door. It had been so far away, but here it was. She opened it and slipped out the door, trying to ignore the bloody hand print she left there. The hallway was clear. She limped on, motivated by the thought of her…friends. Yes, they were her friends. Even the child, who sometimes got violent when they were angry. Even the skeleton who had caused her so much pain.

On and on she went, down the hallway that seemed endless. Her leg felt numb now too, she was mostly dragging it, leaning against the wall. _Drip drip drip_ went her blood. She couldn’t give up though. She had Determination.  She could do this, she could live. She wanted to live so badly…

And then he was right in front of her and she stumbled back. She gritted her teeth, standing her ground. The skeleton had grim eyes and he reached for her. She slapped his hand away and shoved him, sending him staggering back. Her leg hurt, but she ran. She ran for her life. _Dripdripdripdripdrip_ , her blood splattered against the floor in time to her heartbeat, frantic and erratic, her breath coming in heavy pants now.

She came to a crossroad and hesitated. He teleported to her left so she went right. Right now her plan was escaping him and then escaping this awful place. He would kill her soon. He would leave her body here where it might never be found.  The children, her friends, the skeleton brothers…She had to keep moving!

Suddenly he was in front of her and there was no time to stop. She tried to turn but he grabbed her bad arm and she screamed. He slapped her across the face hard enough to spin her, though he still had her bad arm. He squeezed and she whimpered. This couldn’t be it! She wouldn’t let this be the end!

She kicked her good leg at him and was surprised when her foot connected with his lower leg. He yelped in surprise more so than pain and let go of her. She turned away and ran again. She heard him cursing. She knew he’d teleport again. She listened for the sound and predicted where he’d appear, ducking under his outstretched hand. She ran straight this time, down the way he had been blocking. He had to have blocked this for a reason, right?

Around a corner, dodging him once more and she saw a door. She stopped before it, trying to pull it open. It was locked. She cursed and pulled and kicked it and pulled more. She heard him chuckle darkly somewhere behind her. She turned and he was there. He smiled and it was not a friendly look. She pressed herself against the door and prepared to fight if she had to. She was not going to die down here. She was not going to die at all!

She gritted her teeth, prepared to do anything she had to so she could survive.

The tall skeleton stopped and they laughed. She tensed, ready for anything.

“You humans, you are so amusing. You fight, knowing you can’t win, but you fight anyway. Like something is motivating...a determination.” He smiled and almost looked friendly but she knew better than to trust him. “But that’s good, because I have great need of that determination of yours” His eyes begin to glow and she screamed as he took a hold of the splintered shards of her soul.

She went to her knees, catching herself from hitting her face off the floor with her good arm. She struggled, trying to find a way to freedom, a way away from him.

“Stop it! Stop struggling!” He snarled.

Tears streamed down her face. She was not going to give up! She was not going to submit. He slammed her back against the door, once, twice, a third time and held her there. She struggled, she would not give up! 

“I said stop!”

He was pressing her back against the door hard, her bones felt like they should shatter. She wanted to black out from the pain, but she refused! She would not! She had to stay awake! She had to keep going! She could not give up!

She had already given up so many times in her life and all those moments had led her here. If only she had been more determined in the past, if only she had someone she loved, she cared about then. She would not die. She could not die! She had hopes now! Dreams! She could not give up her life anymore! She had to fight! She would fight!

Suddenly he had let go of her and she slid to the floor panting. She looked and saw he was being held down…by the other skeleton? Tears of relief flooded her eyes. Suddenly the child darted out from behind him and to her side. She lifted her hand and touched the child’s cheek, their red eyes wide and worried. She saw that she left a red trail where her fingers touched their face.

“You’re hurt. Bad” They sounded like the child they were. She could only shake her head, deny that she was hurt that bad. She didn’t want to think of it that way. She didn’t want the child to worry. They turned back to the smaller skeleton. “She needs help! We need to go!”

“O-okay! One moment!” And then he and the other skeleton were gone.  She shut her eyes.

Suddenly he was back and his arm was behind her back, lifting her up. It hurt so much it made her eyes snap open. She cried out and he let her lean back against the door again for a moment. He appeared to have a thin line of sweat across his brow. He was breathing heavy.

“I-I don’t have the energy to heal you. We have to take you somewhere. Can you…can you stand? Just a moment so we can teleport?”

“Do you have the energy to teleport?” Snapped the child.

“…Maybe. Hopefully.”

The child snorted. Frisk looked at them both and smiled. She felt tears running down her cheeks. So this was it was it? This was how she died? At least she got to see these two on last time. She could feel blood running from the back of her head, making her hair a wet clump. She couldn’t imagine how she looked, covered in bruises and blood, a broken arm, a battered leg. She probably looked awful and yet…

She wasn’t afraid. She only felt calm right now.

She touched the skeleton’s white lab coat. It was already dirty and her hand left a bloody print on it. He looked at her, his eye glowing faintly.

“Stand up, c’mon” He put his arm under her and she cried out as he tried to lift her again. Her chest, oh hell her chest and her sides! He let her down once more and prodded her sides until she yelped loudly again. “She might have a cracked rib – or a broken one. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He stood and stormed away, running his hand across his head in a worried way.

His shoulders heaved and he looked back at her. She saw tears glimmering in his eyes. He walked back and knelt before her. Her vision was starting to go black around the edges. She tried to lift her hands so she could sign something to him, but her broken arm was numb and useless, her other hand did not listen to her.

“This is going to hurt and I am _so_ – so” his voice cracked a little “I’m so sorry – I’m so sorry.” He picked her up this time and she shrieked in pain. The pain was so intense she saw red a moment. “Sh, sh, sh, please! Please!” the skeleton  was trying to comfort her. The child stood beside the skeleton, she felt them holding her one hand.

“We have to go” The child said.

But the pain…oh the pain. It hurt, it hurt and Frisk just wanted to let it go. So she did. She let it go and she felt nothing more.

* * *

 

The next two weeks were very long.

The child with no name spent a lot of time with the mopey skeleton, comforting him, reassuring him that there was nothing he could have done. They had to search the lab to find Frisk and it had taken so long. The other skeleton had nearly killed her by the time they had arrived. She had lost so much blood and so many of her bones had been broken. They had tried their best though. What could anyone else ask for?

The other skeleton – Gaster was his name, the child remembered – was locked up. His own device used against him now so he could not teleport or use magic. He refused to speak. Perhaps he wanted to become dust. The child would happily help him with that if anyone asked them. No one did, but the child had hope.

The other children were being taken care of by the Royal Family. They had a son named Asriel and he was so happy to have playmates. The child with no name liked Asriel, amazingly. He was a bit of a crybaby but he was fun and he helped the child remember that they were indeed a child. He would always muss their hair and tell them how cool their red eyes were. That was new. Their red eyes were _cool_. Everyone thought they looked like a demon with their red eyes, but Asriel’s eyes were slightly red as well. They supposed it only made sense.

The child with no name was avoided by the other children though. They remembered the child’s…tendencies. Though they had repressed them lately, the child felt that a lot of their frustrations could fixed if they could just draw a little blood. They were careful to not be too cruel to Asriel. They were new after all and they did not want to be too mean to their new…”brother”. That was what he called himself, their “brother”. How strange. He liked to call all the children his siblings. He told them that his parents were their parents now too and that they'd all live together and be happy. The other children were delighted to hear this. The child with no name thought it was probably a good thing, but time would tell.

The child like their new “parents” however. Toriel and Asgore were extremely kind and loving. Toriel was a good cook and they could shovel her food down all day. They often got in trouble for eating too much, but they didn’t care. Nine years of eating hardly anything had left the child with an appetite. And chocolate! Asriel gave her a piece the one day and the child had stolen the rest of the bar from him when he wasn’t looking. He hadn’t been mad but now everyone made sure to not let the child know when there was chocolate in the house or there was a good chance that they’d eat it all.

Oh, the mopey skeleton was in trouble too. House arrest apparently. The only places he was allowed to go was his home and the palace. They spent most of their time at the palace. At first the other children wouldn’t go near him, but he brought his brother along and well…many people knew forgiveness well. The other children eventually began going near him again when they realized he meant them no harm. His brother was kind at any rate and always brought his toys (“Action figures!”) with him and they would play together (“we’re making _battle plans_!”).

It still wasn’t an easy life with eight children in the house suddenly. The King and Queen honestly didn’t have the room to sleep all of them so most of them ended up sleeping in the living room for those first two weeks while the King and Queen had their extra room converted so that there were more beds. More beds were being added to the prince’s room as well, though he seemed more excited by the idea than upset.

The child without a name talked more now as well. While the skeleton brothers could understand their hands, not everyone could and they found their voice was better for communicating than their hands, as annoying as that was. Asriel talked a lot though and always did the most talking between the two of them, yapping away about this and that. Usually the child would have been annoyed but honestly…they kind of liked the young monster. He was fun to be around despite everything.

Things were changing alright, and for the better, according to almost everyone. There was only one thing missing and the child couldn’t talk about it. Wouldn’t. They had caused their fair share of injuries during their life time, their anger coming out as scratches and bite marks on anyone who got too close back in the cells…but…But they knew when someone was hurt bad. All that blood…

They wouldn’t say it out loud but it gave them nightmares. They had a feeling that the mopey skeleton felt the same way. They always looked like they had never slept. They didn’t talk much and hardly smiled. They looked grim. Their brother looked worried.

The child would sit and they wouldn’t talk about it because what good would it do them?

The two of them silently bore their pain and waited for the next day to come and the next after that. It was all they could do anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super addicted to writing for this fic right now! I don't know where all this inspiration came from, but I will not waste it! This is the second to last chapter of this fanfiction I think. I always planned for it to be 10 chapters or less. Its not meant to be one that goes on and on and on. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the read and are looking forward to the grand finale.


	8. Finding A Place

“Please, I’m begging you-” Sans started but the Queen cut him off with a curt;

“No”

“But I-”

“No”

“I _deserve-_ ”

“ ** _No_** ”

The ended up staring at each other hard. Their relationship had been extremely rocky since the Queen had found out his part in the lives of the children. He had not favored hurting them but that did not matter to the Queen. She was mad because he had assisted and he did not blame her but to do this to him was crueler than anything.  They argued and argued and it happened more and more lately. He didn’t know why he bothered to keep coming to the castle.

He sighed and turned away, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket. What he wanted…it wasn’t so unfair that he wanted it, was it?

He walked away from the Queen to the castle’s entry where his guard – his own brother – was waiting for him. Undyne had given his brother a job in the Royal Guard, as long as he kept an eye on Sans. Papyrus was very attentive; keeping a good eye on Sans, but Sans was well behaved and didn’t break any of the rules set for him. Making his brother his keeper was an…insurance as well. They knew he didn’t want to get his brother in trouble.

The children were playing in the garden, running in circles while Asgore watered the flowers.  He laughed as they ran through the water and would splash each other with small watering cans they cared as well. Papyrus was running around with them, like a large child himself.  Undyne was standing nearby, watching it all. She looked up when Sans wandered in and so did the child.

They still didn’t have a name and while Toriel had attempted to get them to pick one out, they kindly refused. They were…well behaved anymore, but he saw dark storms in their eyes sometimes. Asriel and the child were playing at the moment.  It seemed that the child quickly became Asriel’s favorite – his best friend as he’d later say. Though when the child saw Sans, they stood. Asriel looked on worriedly as the child walked up to Sans.

_Did she let you…_

“No” Sans said simply. He sighed and the child did as well.

_Soon, I’m sure. She can’t punish you forever._ They spoke to him with their hands so no one knew what they were talking about. Sans was sure that it annoyed the others only knowing Sans’ side of the conversation.

“She can and she might” Sans shrugged, accepting it.

What could he really do to stop her? He had done the crime and now he had to pay for it and…honestly this was the best way to make him pay. The child looked angry, their cheeks flushed, their red eyes flashing. They turned towards the house and began to march towards it. He grabbed their arm and they swung around, their eyes blazing. He knelt down to look them in the eye.

“Don’t do anything to upset this. You have a good life now and a family. Don’t do anything to upset this balance.” He warned them, a firm finger in their face. The child looked away, clearly pouting. Suddenly they pushed him and he fell back in shock. They stood over him a moment, their face angry. They wanted to say something hurtful, do something hurtful. They pursed their lips and then just turn and ran away.

They ran towards the house and slammed the door behind them. The prince stood there, wringing his hands. He trotted over to Sans.

“They’ve been…angry lately.” He explained, a frown on his face.

“Its okay, kiddo.” Sans ruffled Asriel’s hair. He looked torn. Sans hadn’t really had time to talk to the young prince since all of this had happened. Last time they had spoken, the prince had still thought he and Gaster were cool – that they were working on saving the monsters.

“Mama said Doctor Gaster did bad things. Is it true?” He asked finally. Sans knew this question was coming and it was part of the reason he had been avoiding Asriel a little bit.

“Yeah. We both did” He didn’t want to talk about it and certainly not with the prince. He was still just a kid. Innocent and happy. Sans saw no reason to change that. Asriel didn’t ask anymore, he just looked worried.  “Hey Paps!” He called out to his brother. “Let’s go home. Sorry, kid, but I’m tired”

“Its okay” The prince smiled. “Maybe next time you’ll stay and play a little bit though, right?”

“Yeah, maybe next time…”

But Sans couldn’t see himself feeling any better next time either. He was bone tired, straight down to his soul. He needed to rest. He needed to see her.

But he didn’t see either of those things happening any time soon.

* * *

 

“I just want-”

No! You hurt those children! You are a _monster_!” The Queen’s voice snapped at him and it was like a slap to his face. He flinched back as if she had physically hit him. She stood there, shaking and she seemed to realize her words. “No…Sans…I…”

They had once been friends, they had once been close. He missed those days. He missed joking with her, smiling with her. But now he felt they were getting to a point of no return. There was no helping their relationship now. Maybe in the future…but that future looked grim. Sans and Gaster were no longer looking for a way out and Toriel wouldn’t sacrifice even one of the children so that someone could leave the Underground and seek help from other humans.

So they were doomed to stay here, until they overpopulated and began turning on each other. Sans was sure that was the future that was coming and then he didn’t know what would happen. Would they kill each other or would they try and find peace?

He sighed again and turned away, ready to go home. His head hurt. Suddenly the child was in the doorway, their faces flushed with anger. They stormed in and right up the Queen.

“Let him go”

“My child, with all due respect, I must refuse. He has committed sins-”

“I know exactly what type of sins he’s committed” The child snapped. “Let. Him. Go.”

“I-I…” The woman looked surprised by the confrontation. “You are still a child, you should not…” She closed her mouth though. She seemed to be trying to find the right words. She opened her mouth again, “I am your _mother_ and I-”

“No!” The child’s voice seemed to echo in the room, their tears glittered in the golden light. “No! He saved us! Let him see her! He deserves that much and I’m sure she would want him to be there!”

“Kid…” He frowned. They shouldn’t be talking to the Queen like this. But the Queen sighed at last, folding her hands in front of her, a sad look on her face.

“Do you really think she would?”

The kid didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“Fine, but I will send Undyne with you.” She turned to walk out towards the garden, where Undyne would be watching over the children. Sans looked at the child, a frown on his face.

“You shouldn’t have done that. I told you not to.” The child sent a chilling glare his way and stomped their foot. For a moment, they really looked their age, like they were throwing a tantrum. It was almost amusing and Sans might have smiled were he not in such a dismal mood. Despite the Queen giving her okay, Undyne would surely be there to drag them away when the Queen told her to.

“You don’t know her then, you trashbag!”  The child snapped.

“I guess I don’t” He answered because it was true, he didn’t. The child crossed their arms, tears still in their eyes, their mouth still turned down in a pout.

“Let’s just go” They stormed over to him and took his hand. “Let’s _go_ ” The tugged him right out of the castle and to the gardens outside where the Queen and Undyne were talking a bit away from the children. Undyne did not look happy, but Sans did not expect her to.

“Nrgh! Why do I have to go with them?” They heard Undyne exclaim.

“Because I do not feel as if I can trust him yet” The Queen’s reply was cool.

“Like he’s going to really hurt her”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nrgh!” Undyne turned away. “I’ll just go with him!” She caught sight of the child and Sans coming towards them. “C’mon, let’s hurry up and go”

“Alright, alright” Sans looked towards the Queen, a frown on her face. His eye began to glow softly and she turned away, heading back inside. One of the children stopped her and she smiled brightly. She never smiled or laughed around him anymore. After this, he was going to fix his relations with everyone.

He closed his eyes and willed them to another space and the oppressive head of Hotlands enveloped them. Undyne gasped in the hot air. She hated Hotlands. It was too warm, especially with her armor…though she hardly wore that to guard the children. Instead she was in more casual attire. She brushed her red hair from her face and Sans saw sweat already dotting her skin.

“Hotland _sucks_ ” She growled. “Let’s get inside.”

The three of them, the child still holding his hand, walked inside Alphys’ lab. She had always had her own lab since becoming a Royal Scientist. She had different methods than Gaster and had decided she rather not experiment too much with souls and their matter. She focused on robotics and medicine mainly. Improving the lives of the monsters stuck underground. It was more noble than what Sans and Gaster had been doing. Undyne began calling out for her friend the moment they were in the door and Sans hesitated.  The child tugged his hand. He had to stop, remember the last time he was here.

The blood, how cold she felt in his arms. She was limp and was she breathing? He couldn’t tell. He could barely see, the tears that clouded his eyes. He was so weak he could barely walk so he stumbled, clutching her against his chest, stumbling, calling out for Alphys. She had rushed into the room and let out a sound between a screech and a scream. Then she had rushed forward and they had placed her on the ground. She began working on her, willing her not to fall apart, willing her to stay alive.

But monsters’ ailments and injuries were primarily of the soul and since her’s was physical…There wasn’t much Alphys could do right there but try to mend the cracks in her soul. Sans had held her and told her how much he wanted to see her smile again and hear her laugh. He promised her that he’d find a way to make her existence down here one worth living – one worth fighting for. He probably made a million promises he couldn’t keep that day as her blood soaked into his clothing as her breathing slowed.

But then…

The child tugged on his hand.

He followed along. They walked down the hall to where Alphys and Undyne were talking. When Alphys caught sight of him, she stiffened a little, no doubt thinking of that same day.

“O-oh, Sans…I-I thought the Queen...I thought she had said you c-couldn’t…”

“She changed her mind” Undyne said, with a roll of her eyes. “Guess I lost that bet to 01. “ She laughed. “Anyway like I was sayin…” And the two of them went on talking. Sans and the child moved past them to the back room. It was a little mini-hospital. There was only one bed and there she was. He didn’t realize that Alphys had followed him back for a moment until she spoke.

“She…she stopped breathing two days ago. For a little bit I mean. I-I hooked her up t-to this machine th-that…Well…She’s okay now. Her ribs are h-healing. It’s h-hard to um…heal her while her soul is s-still so…But when her soul is done healing I can prob-probably fix her up. She’ll be okay!” Alphys glanced at him, but he didn’t look at her. “Um…I-I’m gonna go t-talk to Undyne while you…while you two visit” And then he heard the sound of her retreating. That was kind of her to let them visit the young woman without her breathing down their back. Sans knew that Toriel would be angry to know that he was left alone with her.

Not completely alone. The child let go of his hand and went to her and took her hand. The moment they did, she let out a little gasp and her golden eyes opened. Her face was flushed with a slight fever, Sans could see and her eyes looked at the child and then at him. She smiled when her eyes landed on him. She tried to lift her hands, but could not. Her one arm was still broken and it was in a sling against her body. She glanced down at it and then back at him, apology in her eyes. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, her face flushing.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to speak.” He said and went to stand next to the child. The child let go of her hand to take one of his. He took the hand the child had let go of. “I just wanted to see that you were okay.” She shrugged and winced gently.

It brought more memories of that day he had brought her here. She had been so close to death, he was hearing what he was sure was her last breath, but then she had gasped. Tears flooded down her cheeks and she _struggled_ as if she wanted out of his arms. He was sure she was hurting herself more, but he could see in her eyes, the will to live. Her soul was bright red, brighter than the blood that dyed his clothes. She wanted to live and so she did.

Her face looked almost back to normal, no more swelling or bruises, though she had a bandage around her head. She had various bandages on her body from wounds caused by Gaster. Her arm in that sling…He made her soul glow briefly so he could check on that. The red heart on her chest was cracked but looked much better than it had before. Before it had been splintered and nearly broken in two. It had been…sick what Gaster had done to her. He had very nearly killed her, he had very nearly broken her soul in two. He had thought she was dead. He had channeled what little magical energy he had left into her, to keep her soul together, just a little longer…just until Alphys could save her. It had left him drained and weak. He had slept for days, but it had been worth it.

Because here she was, smiling ever so slightly at him.

He pulled up a chair and sat next to her. The child climbed up onto the bed next to her and curled up at her side. She put her good arm around them and he sat and talked to her. He told her how the other children were doing, how sorry he was that all this happened (She shook her head, he knew she didn’t blame him, but he would always blame himself, he knew). He looked at her wounds a little, checking on them a bit. He saw her hair was combed and figured Alphys must be taking good care of her. Of course she would, Alphys was a good person…and now the lone Royal Scientist.

That was a sad thought, not because Sans already missed his former title, but because he knew the burden that was now on Alphys’ shoulders. She would be expected to find a way out, by herself, without any help. It would be hard and he didn’t know how she was going to do it. She’d figure it out though, she was a brilliant scientist, just as brilliant as Gaster, but she had more kindness in her soul.

Sans pushed the thought away. He had been with her a while now. He stood and gave her hand a squeeze. He picked up the sleeping child. She reached for him and he smiled.

“I’ll be back, soon” He promised, but he had no idea if he could keep that promise or not. He had no idea when the Queen might give him leave to return to her side and if he did it without the Queen’s permission…well he knew he had a high risk of getting his brother in trouble and getting thrown into a cell next to Gaster. He just knew he would return soon, one way or another.

* * *

 

She smiled again when he saw her, a week later. A check on her soul said it was healed much better than even last time. Alphys had been healing her body as well. Her ribs were still cracked, but her broken arm was healed and her head no longer needed the bandages. Alphys told him she had been focusing on the worse injuries first. Her ribs had been badly damaged though and she was afraid to heal them too much at once. Sans didn’t her. He knew how fragile bones could be – for obvious reasons.

That day she could sign though and her fingers moved so swiftly for a moment he had no idea what she was saying. He had to have her repeat everything. She was just telling him how much better she felt already and how kind Alphys was and…Wait what?

_I want to see him_.

“See who?”

_The skeleton who did this to me. The tall one._ He blinked a frown on his face. _I want to talk to him. I have something important to say._

“I don’t think the Queen would let you…”

_I am not a child. Please, take me to see him. I know you can._

He gritted his teeth. He was going to be in so much trouble but when she looked at him with those soft golden eyes….He found himself helping her out of bed. She held onto him, her body weak from not moving around in so long. The child stood on her other side, ready to help her if needed. Once she was steady on her feet, he began to gather his magic. He knew it might make her ill to teleport now – teleporting too often was bad for people with flesh and who weren’t made of primarily magic.

They teleported into the dungeon. 01 and 02 were guarding his cell, but Sans used his magic to move them out of the way. They weren’t happy, but he wasn’t going to hurt them after all. He simply kept them out of the way.

She approached Gaster’s cell with the help of the child, almost timidly. He was sitting on his cot, a book in his hands. He looked up as she approached. He did not look pleased. His eyes slid to Sans and he sighed, rose from his seat and approached the edge of the cell. He looked at the timid looking woman but as she stood there, she straightened her back and looked him in the eye.

_I wanted to talk to you. I have something important to tell you._ She said with her hands. He tilted his head slightly.

“What is it?” He asked. He sounded genuinely curious. Sans was curious too but he did not ask her what she wanted to say. He figured whatever it was, it was important in its own way.

_I understand why you did what you did and I forgive you for it_.

Sans nearly dropped the two guards when he read that off her fingers. He didn’t understand how she could say that. _But she forgave you didn’t she? …No she never said that, but you know she has._

“You understand why I did what I did? Tell me child, why do you think I did what I did?” Gaster was amused now. He could see it in the other skeleton’s face. He thought the young woman had some silly reasoning for believing she understood him. She stood boldly before him and her smile was sad as she began signing out he reasoning.

_It was right…or it was right to you. It was all you knew to do. It was all you could do. You were trying to save the people you loved and cared about, you were trying to do right by them. You hurt me and you hurt others but it was for the greater good – your greater good. You looked above everything to the future that you wanted for everyone. You have people you love down here, stuck down here and you wanted to escape, for them. You wanted to ensure they would live on when you reached the surface. Everything you did, you did because it was right…to you. I can understand that, I can forgive that._

Sans was struck silent by her silent words. The child was quiet too. He wondered what they thought of her words, of her thoughts. Gaster gave her a look and shook his head softly. He said nothing but returned to his cot. He would not look at her, he did not want to “hear” any more of her words. She stood there and he sensed she had more to say, but Gaster did not want to listen. Sans released the guards, grabbed her and grabbed the child, teleporting them back to her room.

She was a little woozy by the time they returned and he saw her back to bed. She sat, her hands on her lap and her breathing a little labored. Her ribs had to be killing her after all that movement. She had hissed in pain getting back into the bed, but now she looked tranquil.

“Did you really mean what you said?” He asked her.

_Of course_ she signed without looking at him. _I’ve had a lot of time to think here. Alphys tells me a lot of things too…how monsters got trapped, how your situation is getting worse year after year. It must be hard to be down here, to watch the people you care about suffer. If I were him, I might have done the same thing. People do crazy things for the people they love._

“Monsters aren’t people…” He said, half-amused.

_Sure they are. A different kind of people, but as far as I’ve seen, you all are people with your own hopes and dreams._

“You’re pretty wise for a kid” He gave her a smile.

_I haven’t been a kid for a very long time._

* * *

Sans did get in trouble for taking the woman to see Gaster without the Queen’s permission, but the King defended him, saying the woman had a right to go and see whom she liked. If she felt she had to go behind everyone’s back and use Sans to do it, then they were doing something wrong. The Queen was mad at first…but then she realized her husband was right. She knew she was being too strict. She was just angry such a thing could happen right under nose, that children could be hurt for so many years without her realizing. She apologized to Sans and gave him free reign to see her as long as she wished to see him.

It was the best news that he had heard in a very long time.

* * *

“Are you sure you can walk?” He asked her. The young woman with the golden eyes was living in the castle now. She wasn’t fully recovered, her muscles weak from being in a bed for so long. She was determined to get back into good shape though. She walked shakily across the living room, from the chair to the bookcase, with him watching with nervous eyes.

He saw her begin to fall and he caught her with his magic before she could hurt herself. She had closed her eyes and flinched away from the floor but when she saw she was floating above it, she smiled and turned towards him.

_Put me down! You’ve got to let me fall so I can get back up again!_

He put her down on her feet. She brushed invisible dust off her shirt. He spent more and more time here now that she was here. The children still enjoyed the garden, Papyrus still enjoyed running about with them and Asriel was happy to have so many new friends. The child was often with him, content now that the woman was back here. Sometimes they come looking for her, for one reason or the next. Their attachment was clear in the way they sought her out if they were having a bad time.

_Hey, I want to go somewhere. I want to see something. Can you take me?_

“Sure, maybe” He never made promises with this one. She was always asking to see things, go places, but most of the time he wanted to wait until she felt better. She was still weak and he didn’t want her pushing herself too hard.

_I want to see the barrier_

“The barrier?” He gave her a weird look. This was a first.

_I’ve been reading about it in some of the books that are here. I want to see it for myself._

“It’s a bit of a walk away. Are you going to be able to make it?”

_If you’re there with me_.

And so the two of them went. There were frequent breaks. They stopped in the throne room, where the second garden was. The children didn’t play in here too much, nor did they have much interest in it. She liked the golden flowers though and touched the petals delicately before walking on. The barrier was right outside.

It was glowing red, the sun barely able to touch it. She reached out her hand and touched barrier gently. It rippled under her fingers. She touched her chest and he could see her soul there, shuddering at the contact with the barrier. There was a look in her golden eyes, a look he didn’t understand. Determination but…for what? She turned away, and began walking away. He followed.  They did not talk on the way back.

He wanted to ask questions but couldn’t bring himself to utter a word. She seemed deep in thought. When they got back, she excused herself to take a nap. She got tired easily yet. The child seemed to know because they followed after her, Asriel close behind.

The other children were outside chasing insects. Papyrus was talking with Undyne. He watched as she attempted to give him a noogie and he flailed trying to get away. He trotted over and watched as Papyrus finally managed to worm away. San laughed as he flailed once more and fell over. Undyne was dying of laugher and the children were laughing too, even as they helped him up. He posed for them and to his (and Sans) delight, many of the children quickly mimicked the pose.

The children really adored him, but how could they not? He was super cool and very kind. He came here and played with them every day. He had become their friend. Sans couldn’t see any downside to this. He sometimes worried about Undyne’s influence over the children, but while she was rougher around the edges, some of the older children seemed to enjoy her company.

Things were looking up for the humans…but never changing for the monsters.

Despite everything, they still weren’t sure how to escape the Underground. It seemed they would be stuck here for a long time yet. They could wait for the humans to grow old before taking their souls, but if the King and Queen loved this children as their children, would they allow their souls to be used? Sans wasn’t so sure about that.

But for now, things were peaceful and good, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

 

“You know, I don’t know your name” He said to the woman one day. She looked at him in surprise and then her expression became amused. “What?”

_I don’t actually know yours either_. She paused, wrinkling her nose. _Though I know I must have heard other people say it._

“Its-“

But she motioned him to be quiet. _No, not yet. I don’t want to know yet_

“Why not?”

_Because._ He gave her a funny look. _I have a plan. Trust me._

“A plan? For what?”

_I’ve been talking to the skeleton downstairs – Gaster. We have a plan._ He didn’t like the sound of that and was about to tell her as much. _Please don’t tell anyone! I know the King and Queen wouldn’t like to know that I’m talking to him. But he’s very smart and I think he’s right_

“About what?”

_About a lot of things. But give me one week. I’ll show you then. I’ll tell you my name then._

“I could just ask the child”

_I’ll tell them not to tell you._ And she had him there. Despite the kid not seeming to outright hate him anymore, they didn’t like him as much as they did her. They also disliked that he seemed to take up so much of her time. She’d spend time with just him. The child seemed…jealous, if that was the correct word for it anyway. They’d throw fits if she was gone with Sans for too long and would make sure that he knew his place…or they’d try to without getting scolded by their new parents.

She stood from her seat, her hair falling loosely over her shoulder. She looked down at him a smiled, a bright smile that made her golden eyes glow.

_Give me one week. That’s all I ask_

And being the fool he was he said, “Alright”

* * *

 

The day came, a week later exactly. She and the children were strangely somber that day. They all gathered before the barrier. Sans wondered if she and Gaster had figured out a way to destroy it. No…that couldn’t be the case. They needed raw determination, right? Right? Had he and Gaster been wrong all along?

She reached out her hand and touched the barrier gently. Her Soul began to glow bright red in response, throbbing gently in time with the barrier. She pressed her hand flat against it and her soul began to glow brighter. She looked towards Marie, formerly known as Subject Two.

Marie’s ringlets hung around her that day, combed into soft curls. She wore a light blue dress and her eyes seemed especially big and timid. She began to reach her hand out but hesitated, looking towards the woman for encouragement. The woman nodded her head, a smile on her face. Marie touched the barrier, lightly at first. Her Soul flared to life, a light blue. She pressed harder and the soul began to glow brightly as well.

Troy was next. He had scars on his shoulders and arms from times he had spent with the child, but he never seemed to mind the scars. He looked at Undyne, who had taken him under her wing. It seemed the two were greatly alike and Undyne liked his fighting spirit. He didn’t hesitate and pressed his hand hard against the barrier. His soul flared and began to glow a bright orange color.

Ellie was next, her hand raised. She had taken to the Queen quite quickly and had been trying to get the Queen to start a dancing school in the Underground. She told the Queen it would teach the children of the Underground some integrity. Her hand pressed deeply against the barrier and her soul began to glow a bright blue.

This was when Sans noticed the barrier began wavering. It was shifting, as if it were getting ready to crumble. He held his breath. Was this it?

Az was next. He had new glasses now that fit his face more correctly. His hair was crazy and it never seemed to be really combed. He got along well with Alphys. She talked of him being a Royal Scientist someday, much to his delight. There was no hesitation when he pressed his hand into the barrier. His soul began to glow purple.

Young Kent was next. He was just as timid as Marie. He liked to cook and that was why he got along with Papyrus quiet well, but he also liked sitting with the King. Apparently the best part of cooking was growing your own food. His hand pressed into the barrier and his soul began to glow a soothing green.

Nina looked at the monsters before she went to the barrier. Her eyes landed on Sans at last. They narrowed a tiny bit – she thought he had not gotten his deserved punishment for hurting them. She believed in justice above all. She took a deep breath and turned away, pressing her hand into the barrier and her soul began to glow a resounding yellow.

The barrier was weak, that much was easy to see. Cracks began forming in it. The seven humans stepped forward, pushing against the barrier, but it held fast. The young woman glanced at the child, who had not joined their fellow humans. The child sighed, almost dramatically.

“Fine.” He heard them grumble and they joined the others, pressing their hand to the barrier. Their soul began to glow red as the first human’s.

They pushed against the barrier again, the cracks running all along the barrier’s length and then suddenly, it shattered, flashing brightly. The sound was glass but as the fragment of the barrier fell, Sans could feel the pure and powerful magic. Light flooded into the cave and for the first time in a very long time, the sunlight poured into the Underground undaunted by the barrier.

Sans stood there, breath taken by the sight he had never seen. The humans turned to look at the monsters, but Sans could only see her. The sunlight behind her, the golden glow of her eyes and that smile on her face. She looked so simply happy and…it was an expression he had always wanted to see on her face.

The others were heading for the opening, to see the outside world for the first time, but he went to her. They stood there, looking out at the sun for a long moment as the sound of everyone elses’ voices faded further and further away.

“So…what is your name kid?” He asked her. She motioned for him to go first. “Heh, fine. I’m Sans, Sans the Skeleton.” She gave him an amused look, one eyebrow raised. He shrugged, grinning. She turned to face him completely. He turned as well, but it seemed oddly formal to be truthful.

“It’s good to finally meet you, for real Sans” She said. He knew his eyes widened from her smug face. “My name is Frisk”

“Holy shit, you can talk?” He couldn’t help it. He thought she was mute, like completely. Then she rewarded him with something so much better than her telling him a yes or a no – she laughed. It was that carefree laugh that had first caught his eye. That smile, that silly, giggling laugh of her’s.

She nodded when her laughter subsided. She smiled again, those golden eyes glowing.

“Sans! Human! Are you not coming?!” Papyrus was suddenly standing at the end of the tunnel. She giggled and then grabbed his hand, hurrying towards the opening in the tunnel. He followed after her, a grin on his face. They burst into the sunlight and stopped, looking at the glorious sight of the sun setting, touching a sea in the distance.

“Isn’t it the most lovely sight you’ve ever seen?” Queen Toriel asked. Many of the children smiled and nodded their heads in agreement. Sans noticed the child standing near Frisk, holding her other hand now, watching the sun with wary eyes. Frisk let go of their hand to stroke their hair and let their arm rest across the child’s shoulders.

Sans looked out into the distance.

“Sans, what is that big yellow thing in the sky?” Papyrus asked. Frisk let out a small giggle.

“It’s the sun!” She surprised everyone by saying.

“Human! You can speak!” Papyrus immediately wrapped her and the smaller child in a tight hug. She let go of Sans’ hand to hug his brother and Sans was happy. Truly happy for the first time in what felt like forever.

“Humans” The King spoke. “I know you have been mistreated, some of you for years, but we need humans to represent us in this new adventure. Would you do us monsters that honor?”

The children all looked at each other and then at Frisk, but it was the child who spoke first.

“We would” They spoke for all of them. Asriel let out a delighted sound and wrapped their arms around the other child, even as Papyrus gave Frisk another tight hug.

“Then I will be the mascot!” He declared and he let go of Frisk. “Time to go introduce myself to the humans and give them a good first impression!” He darted off before anyone could stop him.

“Papyrus! Wait up, you nerd!” And Undyne was running after him.

“Undyne! W-wait!” Alphys was the next gone. Asgore and Toriel stood with their children, staring off into the sunset. Sans noticed he could see their souls more clearly in the sunlight, still glowing from their tuff with the barrier.

He noticed something, that they all had cracks and scars along their souls. Damage…that he and Gaster had done, that could never be completely reversed. He frowned at that, looking at Frisk’s soul. Her’s had the deepest cracks, right next to the child standing next to her. The first and the last, both the most damaged and almost opposites of each other in how they handled others. Without Frisk and the mercy in her soul, none of this would have happened, he was sure. The others would have eventually died in his and Gaster’s care.

“Well, my children, we better go find the others” Toriel said at last. “Let us go, find them and explore our new home!”

Asriel, the child and the other six children quickly converged around Toriel and Asgore. The two began herding them down the path. Toriel hesitated and looked back at Frisk, Asgore next to her.

“Are you coming?” He asked her. She nodded and held up one finger. Asgore glanced at Sans and then smiled and nodded. He began herding the children down the path once more. Toriel hesitated a moment longer but the child and Asriel tugged on her hands and she followed her husband and other children.

The sun was sinking steadily and she stood and watched it. It was about half way down now. A gentle breeze picked up, stirring her hair. Sans stood next to her, watching the sun set. They stood there for what felt like forever, for what felt like only a few seconds, for what was certainly eternity and what was only a couple of minutes. The sun sank and they stood there.

“We should get going” He said at last. She nodded and as the path darkened, they turned towards it.

The road ahead would not be easy. Sans couldn’t even pretend it would be. It was going to be treacherous and dangerous. Who knew what the humans remembered of monsters – if they remembered anything at all. The fact that he and Gaster had experimented on eight humans would be a huge strike against them would those facts ever come to light. He knew he may have had a hand in dooming the monsters from the start.

And yet, here they were.

The road stretched ahead of them and Sans knew – _he knew_ – it was not going to be easy. But as he walked beside her, he knew it was worth it.

He knew, more than anything, that no matter what, he would be by her side to help her with what came next. To hear her laugh again, to see her smile again, to hear her speak again. He would be here. They could do this together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends this story. It was alot of fun to write. "But Tru" you say say "This seems rather open-ended!" True rhetorical reader - I do plan on writing more, just in a different story. This is all for this one though. I'll update it, make it part of a series, ect after I have had the chane to write a chapter or two for the next part. So stay tuned! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read and will read this. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope to see you in other stories ;3 Thank you once again! Have a lovely day!


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